Constant marketplace change keeps the focus of most DSN content on how companies rise above challenges. We interview founders and C-Suite executives to talk about industry trends and progress, shifting business models and compensation plans, rebranding and tech and compliance and product development. The list goes on and on.

Less frequently, do we feature the young, corporate standouts who so prominently figure in getting all those things done. But that changes with this issue, as DSN recognizes—for the first time ever—a group of innovative trailblazers, whose contributions push their companies’ trajectories upward, while reshaping the direct selling channel for the rest of us.

More than two dozen companies answered the call to nominate their most accomplished achievers under the age of 40, who exemplify the kind of leadership skills and innovation that best represents the future of the direct selling channel.

And to that end, we proudly present the 2023 DSN 40 Under 40—a group of youthful standouts, who are rockstars in their current roles—vocal champions of direct selling with just the right balance of knowledge and enthusiasm to ultimately lead the industry.

Their day-to-day contributions help their organizations navigate the changing marketplace and they constantly impress. It matters not what field these stellar people represent—be it IT, marketing, training/field development, product development, customer service, HR or even the C-Suite itself—each has won the admiration and respect of their peers and bosses, alike.

Vida Achundsada

Senior Manager, Business Relations / North America

As Senior Manager, Business Relations for Mannatech North America, Vida Achundsada exemplifies outstanding leadership and a depth of understanding for direct selling that drives growth and fosters success within the organization. Vida’s passion, drive and relentless pursuit of success in her primary role of leading and supporting Associates and leaders from both the U.S. and Canada garners the respect and admiration of colleagues and peers alike.

But Vida also dedicates her energies to the Direct Selling Association of Canada, where she serves as a distinguished representative and holds a position on its Board. Her appointment reflects her long-standing commitment to the industry, as well as her proactive nature in shaping its future.

“She has proven herself to be a dynamic and influential leader, actively seeking innovative solutions and spearheading positive change,” said Patricia Anthe, Vice President North America, Mannatech. “She embodies the spirit of the next generation of leaders in direct selling.”

“One of the main challenges in direct selling is overcoming negative perceptions and addressing regulatory and legal complexities. Direct selling companies need to work more towards building trust, educating the public about ethical practices and ensuring compliance with various laws and regulations,” Vida shared. “Companies can tap into the global demand for entrepreneurial opportunities and consumer products by leveraging digital platforms and providing convenient online purchasing options.”

John Alcala

CEO

Direct selling inspires John Alcala because you don’t need specific qualifications, levels of education or experience or to be the most talented. “You only need the grit and determination to change your current situation,” he said.

John experienced the power of direct selling first-hand, working as a top field leader for It Works!. He and wife, SheriLynn spent seven consecutive years in the Top 10 prior to joining the corporate team and John becoming CEO.

“If not for this man (It Works! Founder Mark Pentecost) coming into my life nine years ago, I would have never believed there was more for my life. His belief in his vision for his life and his family’s legacy made me believe that I was made for more. I couldn’t be more blessed to have a mentor and friend that pushes, challenges and believes in me the way he does. He is the GOAT in this industry,” John said.

A methodical, strategic and passionate leader with a big heart, John is always interested in hearing other people’s perspectives and learning from them. He trusts the talents of his corporate team which adds positivity to the work culture. Hendrik Cloete, Chief Financial Officer said that John always puts people first and knows that—as a result—everything good will follow.

Sherilynn Alcala

Head of Field Strategy

At 30, SheriLynn Alcala was a stay-at-home mom with two babies in diapers, when she clicked “join now” on the It Works! site and changed her and husband, John’s, life course. Now, they have checked off more dreams before 40 than most accomplish in a lifetime, thanks to nearly a decade in the field and some “out-of-the-box” thinking by the company’s founder.

Founder Mark Pentecost tapped two of his best field leaders—John and SheriLynn—to run the company earlier this year. “Now part of the corporate team, I’m excited to help our field change the trajectory of their lives. This channel doesn’t discriminate; it is for anyone and everyone willing to show up and work!” Sherilynn said.

Resilient, SheriLynn understands setbacks are part of the journey—merely learning opportunities for growth. She’s mastered stepping outside her comfort zone, taking risks and putting in the effort to make things happen. “She doesn’t wait for opportunities to come to her but goes out and creates the opportunities,” Kate Martin Carlson, Vice President of Marketing and Sales, shared.

“I believe more companies could benefit from hearing the field perspective because the goal is the same for both sides: to sell life-changing products and grow our sales force. I’m so excited to share my perspective, knowledge and insight. We are better together!” SheriLynn said.

Uzma Azim

Senior Director of Information Technology

FOR MORE than a decade, Uzma Azim has been the face of technology at Neora, collaborating to bridge gaps between challenges and technological solutions, something she finds deeply satisfying. “I find fulfillment in leveraging the power of technology and innovation to streamline manual tasks, enabling both myself and my team members to devote our attention to more engaging and fulfilling work.”

“Uzma has a very valuable gift of explaining very complex IT ‘speak’ to actionable steps across all departments,” Beth Hisey, Director of Marketing, shared.

Proof is the recent, successful Neora website revamp, where Uzma and her team were tasked with a heavy workload and short deadlines, while balancing usual day-to-day demands. The project was important to bring more ease and a better user experience for customers, brand partners, as well as prospects.

Software development experience early in her career—and the desire to learn more—led to a graduate degree in computer science by 2016, which was instrumental to her flourishing career, growth and advancement at her first direct-selling experience at Neora.

There, she met a remarkable mentor in Deborah Heisz, Co-CEO of Neora and CEO/Co-Founder of Live Happy. “With her vast oversight of various business domains, there is always something new for me to grasp and learn. Her guidance and mentorship have been invaluable in shaping my professional growth,” Uzma said.

Bethany Balsdon

Director of Global Market Partner Experience

Bethany Balsdon grew up in direct selling, inspired by stories of “fearless” women who chose the industry and changed their lives with hard work and perseverance. That’s how she knew her own potential was limitless.

MONAT Global is Bethany’s fourth direct selling partner, having joined in 2015 during the company’s Canada launch. She is lead strategist for main stage global salesforce event content. Bethany also leads a team in design, implementation and integration of recruiting and retention tools, programs and assets for 450,000 Market Partners which contributes to retention and activity.

“She is a value- and results-driven communicator, skilled at directing multiple training and sales initiatives while delivering results on primary objectives. Bethany is known for developing enduring and trusting internal and external relationships,” shared Ray Urdaneta, CEO, MONAT Global.

Catherine Scott, Vice President of Global Field Development and Bethany’s mentor, pushes her to be bold and taught her how to unapologetically hold a seat at the table while leading with kindness. “While working under Catherine, I had my first child. She models what being a stellar businesswoman and mother can look like. I would certainly not be where I am today or on this list without her,” Bethany said.

Alexander Bogart

Director of Media and Technology

The dynamic environment of direct selling inspires Alexander Bogart to adapt, continually improve and be open to acquiring new skills. He said that’s why he gets up in the morning, and in challenging times his type of innovation and creativity profoundly impacts operations.

When Alexander stepped in to cover the extended absence of a co-worker diagnosed with a brain tumor, despite having his own workload to manage, CEO/Founder/President of Jordan Essentials, Nancy Bogart shared that, “He carried the load with an outstanding attitude, showing remarkable dedication and commitment to his colleagues and our organization.”

Alexander brings expertise and experience in video production, web and graphic design, as well as 15 years coordinating and executing direct sales events and conferences. But it’s his eagerness to learn and willingness to expand his skill set that make him a go-to resource for assistance and support across multiple departments.

Addressing a wide range of needs excites Alexander. “I find joy in streamlining operations and improving logistics to support our home office team. Helping bring impactful marketing strategies to life; executing successful events; and enhancing our brand’s visual identity are all areas where I can make a positive impact. Having a diverse skill set allows me to provide comprehensive support and contribute to the success of our company.”

Laura Brandt

President

AS A third-generation direct sales businesswoman, Laura Brandt feels a deep sense of responsibility to carry the opportunity and empowerment torch forward. Direct selling impacted the lives of her family and nurtured her entrepreneurial spirit, igniting a desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

“I am particularly passionate about the direct sales space as it has granted me the privilege of meeting and building relationships with diverse individuals from all walks of life,” Laura explained.

When Mark Bennett, Chief Business and Legal Officer of IDLife, hired Laura, he told her he would train her to take his job. “I thought it would take three-plus years, but it only took her 18 months,” he shared. “Laura is one of the brightest minds in the business I have ever met. She’s level-headed, a voice of reason and a natural born leader. She wasn’t given the title of President, our employees treated her like the president, she made decisions like a president, and she had the ‘presidential’ respect of our vendors and brand partners before she ever received the title.”

Misconceptions and stereotypes can create hurdles for the direct selling industry and Laura believes the best way to overcome is to educate the public about legitimate and ethical practices and to build a strong industry reputation based on transparency and integrity.

Ian Chen

Director of Business Relations

Ian Chen’s career spans four network marketing companies including starting one in China. At Mannatech, Ian is an invaluable asset driving growth in the North America Chinese market. He demonstrates unwavering dedication and works tirelessly with field leaders.

“I greatly admire his remarkable ability to forge and nurture relationships with our distributors. He understands the importance of establishing strong partnerships and setting mutual goals, all while effectively balancing his responsibilities as a corporate employee,” Patricia Anthe, Vice President North America, Mannatech shared.

“My two years as a distributor in the field revealed so much of what network marketing is about. I wouldn’t exchange those two years with any other experience,” Ian explained. “Working hand-in-hand with some of the most accomplished leaders in network marketing inspires me just about every day. In the age of automation, what distinguishes us as humans are those fundamental elements of friendship, love, happiness and a sense of belonging.”

His innovative mindset, coupled with an eloquent and effective communication style and unwavering reliability, allows Ian to spearhead new initiatives and consistently deliver outstanding results.

“The biggest challenge in this industry is the constant change in both regulatory environment and technology. The opportunity of the future lies in the younger generations. Companies will have to adapt to culture and consumer preferences of those generations which are evolving over time,” Ian said.

Vivian Chung-Patterson

Vice President Global Marketing

Vivian Chung-Patterson has a keen eye for detail that makes her successful in creating 360-degree marketing plans that produce actual results. In her role with Partner.Co spearheading global marketing operations, events, social media and communications efforts, she exhibits exceptional leadership in both managing and motivating teams and efficiently launching new products and services on an international scale.

“Her commitment to delivering high-quality work is unwavering, and her dedication to the company is second to none. Vivian’s unwavering effort and expertise have contributed tremendously to the successful launch of Partner.Co,” CEO Darren Zobrist said.

With a background in communications, including being the youngest person at 24 ever hired by Hearst Publications’ Hong Kong Division to media liaison with prestige, luxury-brand clients like Christian Dior, she learned early on that being successful is tied directly to one’s own effort and motivation.

From her tenure with Hearst, too, she learned to develop and maintain the highest marketing standards for every project, and to teach those skills to others. When they created special ads for Christian Dior, for example, she said, “I’d sit at the print shop for days to ensure every batch of stock paper was the exact same weight and the same shade of white, and I’d reject every print that was darker/lighter than the approved color.”

Meredith Cook

President

In founding Green Compass, Meredith Cook became a mission-driven leader of an all-natural, holistic brand of quality hemp products. But for her, it was always about making a greater impact and building a passionate community empowered to share and heal. Her vision, leadership skills and personal passion solidify a strong corporate mission and purpose that’s felt in every aspect of the business, including R&D, formulating, manufacturing and distribution.

“She leads with purpose, gratitude and compassion—never straying from her commitment to people, whether that be consumers, advocates or employees,” Lori Burgher, CMO, said.

“I’ve always seen the value in bringing people together around shared passions. There is power in connecting people,” Meredith shared. “If you are passionate, you can have success. And success looks so different for everyone, which is incredible to see. At the end of the day, you just have to care enough to show up and share.”

Following the pandemic’s shift away from in-person gatherings, Meredith committed to a “hybrid” business building opportunity that meets people where they are. “But I will never shy away from bringing people together! The energy and excitement that comes when our advocates gather and share their experiences is so contagious, and it always fills my cup.”

Brandon Craddock

Director of Digital Marketing

Brandon Craddock brings a quiet, calm demeanor and a lead-by-example management philosophy to a fast-paced, deadline driven environment at Ambit Energy, where he’s consistently advanced his skills in video creation, social media trends, website design and mobile technology to help define a life-long learning culture.

Closely tied to that pursuit of learning is Brandon’s constant reinforcement and insistence that Ambit’s creative team is most effective when it engages and listens to field leaders about what works and what doesn’t.

“He does all of this with a keep-your-cool, laid-back, never-ruffled style—always ready to step up and get the job done,” shared Eric Reisdorf, Chief Development Officer. “When I suggested Brandon to my management team as our nominee, the positive response was swift and absolutely unanimous.”

This former ad agency art director crossed to direct sales 12 years ago, bringing a consumer mindset and ability to relate that he’s since distilled into easily digestible best practices for consultants.

He feels the gig economy changed how people think about entrepreneurship, creating simple ways to earn extra income. “Direct selling is honestly no different and has many advantages over other gigs out there. It’s our job to make direct selling simple and accessible and to educate entrepreneurs and future business owners about those advantages,” Brandon explained.

Arielle Dothard

Director of Operations

Novae is Arielle Dothard’s first direct selling foray, but she embraced its culture and mission Day One. CEO/Founder/President Reco McCambry said Arielle is a major piece of the puzzle that keeps the company moving.

“There is no problem that our executive team brings to a meeting where she is involved that we don’t have a list of possible solutions within 24 hours. Competency is one thing, but having a great attitude and being just as eager as ownership to succeed is everything! That’s Arielle’s MO!” Reco said.

Arielle is a thinker and problem solver who is constantly pushed to expand her knowledge. She believes much of her success ties to her ability to adapt, learn and implement.

“I’m blessed to have leadership I can look to for direction whenever I need it. I’m able to talk through mistakes and turn them into learning experiences—and turn the good ideas into tangible results by proactively working through potential holes. They’ve really provided a safe space for me to learn and be inspired,” Arielle said.

Applying creativity and knowledge to function helps Arielle build a solid foundation for her family, something she aims to continue in the next decade. “I’d like to be in a position where I can use the knowledge I’ve gained and pour into others so that they can build steady foundations for themselves,” she said.

Kenton Engel

Chief Strategy Officer

Network marketing is at an inflection point, where many platforms and technologies are shifting. For a Chief Strategy Officer like Kenton Engel, there’s little better than bringing innovations to bear in a well-established industry and disrupting it.

A well-educated man, who holds two master’s degrees as well as a PhD in pediatrics, Kenton also spent a decade digitally marketing sports nutrition products. “In my career, I have generated almost $300M in quantifiable and trackable digital sales; I have founded or co-founded four brands, all of which became 8-digit revenue earners; and I did all of this while pursuing full-time studies.”

“Kenton has been instrumental in finding key markets and technologies to help expand our Awakend Nation blueprint,” Rodney James, Awakend Founder and CEO, said. “He played a critical role in our partnership with innovative third-party technologies that have helped grow our business.” That includes a new app and integration, as well as review of all compliance-related materials.

Legitimacy, Kenton believes, is the industry’s biggest challenge with its historical legacy that’s roundly negative. “But with all obstacles come equivalent opportunities; meaning that the newest generations of direct selling brands have an opportunity to be forces for positivity; to be innovative product developers; and to lead the way in digital marketing that is fundamentally honest.”

Stefani Green

Director of PR and Communications

Stefani Green leverages her experience in fashion, food, fitness and beauty to help energize Arbonne’s future. “I have a solid understanding of the marketplace and I am intrigued by its evolution. I spent my longest tenure at Mattel working on the Barbie brand, and Barbie has had a huge influence on my career,” she said.

While Arbonne is her first direct selling position, Stefani finds the entrepreneurial spirit motivating and inspiring. She loves the initiative and tenacity the industry requires, including in her role collaborating with partners across the industry.

Joining less than two years ago during a major transition, with new leaders and a new corporate structure, Stefani jumped into the role eager to connect Arbonne to new consumers and media through conversation and exposure.

“Stefani took the opportunity to create synergy across business units, build excitement with consumers and employees and truly reignited the brand’s place in culture and with media,” shared CMO Jorden Bell. Stefani integrated Arbonne’s communications strategy to consider multiple stakeholders and launched a PR campaign at New York Fashion Week resulting in 15 high-profile editorial placements and a 15 percent increase in organic story engagement and total impressions on IG Stories. Brand awareness, she said, is the biggest industry challenge and opportunity.

“Through empowering messaging and increased accessibility, we can transform direct selling to be more understood and highly desired.”

Jeff Harwood

Finance Director

Jeff Harwood is a stalwart and true team player, someone who is constantly sharpening the saw, brainstorming and assisting across departments as well as always going the extra mile to support distributors, Ryan Mumford, Vice President of Finance, shared.

A Utah State and Disney Institute grad, Jeff’s business administration, leadership, employee engagement and quality service schooling helped during an unorthodox new hire training at Activz. When the boss’s wife had a baby in his first week, Jeff dug in.

“I chose to take upon myself my own training, learn the ways of the business and make myself an extremely valuable asset to the company, to not stop until I had figured things out. Even though I was suddenly thrust straight into the fire, I consider that one of the best moments in my career and what influenced me to get to where I am today,” Jeff explained.

His exceptional diligence “is invaluable while launching new markets, releasing new technology improvements or simply reorganizing a department,” Mumford said.

“It’s amazing to interact with so many people that want to increase their value and develop themselves into something great,” Jeff said. “I learned a long time ago that it’s better and more fulfilling to lift others and discovered that by doing so, they in turn lift you.”

Ashlee Headlee

Chief Program Officer

Ashlee Headlee always dreamed of starting her own direct selling company and creating an authentic community, so she is living her wildest dreams and is the most fulfilled she’s been in her entire career.

“I instantly fell in love with all the elements of this industry. I’ve spent the last 11 years working and consulting for companies ranging from billion-dollar brands to start-ups. The fact that I got to take all the knowledge gained over these years and create my own company in this channel is a bit surreal,” Ashlee said.

As a mother, mentor, yogi, wellness advocate and business owner, Ashlee’s passion for people shines as she helps them wake up and remember how incredibly powerful they truly are. She’s the visionary behind three main pillars to abundant living that work synergistically with Awakend products, programs, tools and technology.

Ashlee feels the direct selling industry has been on the forefront of revolutionary for decades but has also experienced a copy-and-paste philosophy of highlighting the same things over and over again. She hopes to create a new model for the future.

“I believe people are looking for more. More connection. More truth. More authenticity. More. This industry—out of all industries—is primed and so capable of providing more on a life-changing scale,” Ashlee shared.

Kenneth Hernandez

Chief Technology Officer

Software development is Kenneth Hernandez’s playing field. He’s spent over a decade on the technology side of healthcare, entertainment, hospitality and direct selling, executing roles like senior software engineer, software architect and chief technology officer.

“I have worked with a variety of companies in the direct selling space, in multiple industries with a variety of compensation plans, all of which have helped me succeed in this channel,” Kenneth said.

“Not only is Kenneth a master at coding he is an excellent problem solver and leader. He embodies the core mantra of our founders to constantly grow and improve and his team exudes this principle as well,” CMO of inGroup, Doug Corrigan shared.

He believes the key to creating a brighter future for direct selling rests on education, innovation and values. A mentor who has a positive influence on Kenneth is inGroup’s Co-Founder Frank Codina. “Frank has not only been a mentor with my career but in life as well. His business and leadership values continue to inspire me,” Kenneth shares. The biggest opportunities exist in connecting the world through technology. “We are witnessing our partner teams span many countries, and we have never seen a time where we can connect with people so easily,” Kenneth said.

Kristi Hudson

Vice President, Associate Marketing and Incentives

Kristi Hudson joined LegalShield at 19. Since then, she’s gained diverse experience in customer service, data analytics, membership retention and leading agile development projects. Three years ago, she earned a promotion to VP and recently finished an M.A. in strategic communication and digital strategy from the University of Oklahoma.

Driven by a strong work ethic, Kristi thrives on tackling challenges head-on with her exceptional problem-solving abilities. High expectations equal her belief in her team’s capabilities. Actions, she said, are more powerful than mere words. So, she rolls up her sleeves to work alongside them, prioritizing teamwork because the best ideas and outcomes stem from collaborative efforts.

“I was honored to receive the Employee of the Year award at LegalShield. This award recognized my leadership and project management during the launch of the company’s brand to LegalShield, along with all-new associate marketing sites and web commerce sites. That award hangs in my office today and remains one of the biggest highlights of my career,” shared Kristi.

She gives a special shoutout to Don Thompson, President of LegalShield’s network division, as an outstanding teacher; is inspired by legacy founders like Madame C.J. Walker for creating success on their own terms; and admires Red Aspen’s founders for their empowerment of women.

Tamila Kerimova

Senior Vice President and General Manager

Tamila Kerimova proudly said “yes” to big geographic moves early on, working in Moscow, Cairo and Lagos. That global perspective informs her current role driving MONAT Europe’s spring 2023 marketing opening in France and welcoming new Market Partners at a first-ever Parisian event. “I love Europe!” she said.

Her “cultural map” encompasses Europe, Africa, parts of the Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States region in a career spanning just under a decade. To be a global leader means living in and understanding other cultures. “Learning more about Asian direct selling and adding that experience will allow me to create a truly global profile,” shared Tamila.

“It’s no surprise that her career focus is on people empowerment and business development,” said Ray Urdaneta, CEO, MONAT Global.

Strong management, communications skills and a hands-on mentality makes Tamila adept at setting up, managing and coaching multi-functional international teams focused on revenue.

Part of the bridge generation, who experienced social media’s rise but remembers life before, Tamila explained that, “Appearing on this list is a great opportunity to highlight why diversity in both age and background is so important across leadership. We are living in times of great change. To thrive and succeed requires keeping an open mind, maintaining a strong vision and not getting distracted by trends.”

Elisa Kurzban

Director of Operations

Elisa Kurzban’s resilience extends beyond her professional role. Elisa is a boxer, underscoring her ability to overcome obstacles and rise above adversity—a characteristic she brings to work with her every day.

An MIT undergrad in mathematics provided a strong analytical foundation, but the draw to problem solve in the real world meant seeking an MBA from the prestigious Wharton School of Business. Elisa now enjoys engaging with people directly and tackling stimulating business problems for Qyral, where she finds the proximity to technology and innovation and the immediate, positive impact on customers’ lives exciting.

“Groundbreaking endeavors necessitate visionary thinking, as well as a strong and scalable operational foundation. Elisa has exemplified these qualities, ensuring that our company remains resilient and capable of handling rapid growth,” shared Hanieh Sigari, Qyral’s Founder and CEO. “Her resourcefulness is unmatched, and she consistently provides creative solutions to any problems that arise. Elisa’s enthusiasm and adaptability have been instrumental in conquering unique challenges.”

Elisa is thankful for the guidance and support she’s received. “Hanieh’s mentorship provides me with a unique opportunity to learn from her diverse experiences as a biochemist, mom, entrepreneur and advocate for longevity and healthcare. Our mentor/mentee relationship is a source of motivation, encouragement and invaluable knowledge, making it incredibly valuable in my journey at Qyral and beyond.”

Matthew Kuzio

Chief Financial Officer and Director of People Services

No job is too big or too small for Matthew Kuzio. Finance, HR, IT challenges, custom resource planning systems, even replacing paper towels and stocking snack drawers.

“No matter the problem, Matt is always ready to assist anyone at Red Aspen in need of help in a quick timeline and with a smile on his face. He adds a priceless sense of humor to the Red Aspen office and is truly such a joy to work with,” CEO/Founder Jesse McKinney said.

Matt’s an adaptive, positive team player with international development, business finance and renewable energy backgrounds, who believes direct selling is “one of the most democratic and inclusive forms of capitalism.”

His operational, entrepreneurship and tech experience stem from ventures in Mongolia, where he founded and managed a climate-focused micro-finance program and partnership with the United Nations and Asian Development Bank to produce energy-efficient products like heating stoves and insulated yurts locally to combat pollution.

Matt’s passion for startups took root and he came state side, eventually landing at Red Aspen. “As a growing startup, I love how fast we move. It feels like every six months my role evolves into something new. We continually work to evaluate our practice, and the challenges associated with building that momentum are epically fun to solve!”

Erin Lokteff

Director of Operations

Erin Lokteff delivers inspiration in everything she does. In fact, Amanda Moore, Co-Founder/Chief Operations Officer calls her “coach” and says Erin manages Red Aspen’s largest team with grace, grit and good, old-fashioned fun.

Previously a teacher and athletic coach, shaping young women and men of strength, dependability and reliability comes as second nature to Erin. She thrived through nearly three years of hypergrowth by using a results-driven communications style to train and develop a 30+ member shipping team, while elevating operational function with forward-thinking planning and order projections.

“I am inspired by the concept that not all success has to look the same. Each of us has a life that is unique to us, with its own heartbeat and its own source of air. Direct sales provides a means to find that source of air for ourselves,” Erin said.

Erin loves that Red Aspen is female owned and 95 percent female run. “We are modeling for a community of not only strong female leadership, but also showing that traditional gender roles are antiquated.”

Jesse, Erin shared, is “a big idea thinker, goofy and infectiously positive” with a silver lining always in her sights—someone who always leaves the right amount of pause time to allow for response. “Jesse’s compassion has allowed me to develop and grow as a leader.”

Madison Mallardi

CEO

Working by her family’s side, Madison Mallardi learned to value community and take care of loyal customers. By the time she was 21, Madison ushered in a new era at the family’s professional make-up company, and in just four years LimeLife by Alcone achieved over $100 million in sales.

She’s literally had her hands in everything—operations, product development, finance, sales, customer care, branding and marketing. She’s addressed every problem, found solutions and driven forward-thinking strategies to retool her grandfather’s company.

“She has a maturity well beyond her years to stay calm under pressure; respond and never react; and ensure that the best path is taken. She is also incredibly fun and funny and can be seen late at night with our sales field dancing or playing beer pong,” said Michele Gay, Chairwoman.

“It is not one person that can make a company great but a community of people, who love a company just as much as their CEO. I think direct sales is the only industry where you can witness such a phenomenon,” Madison shared.

So far, over 100,000 people have said “yes” to the LimeLife opportunity with commission pay outs over $200 million. “I have no idea where this road is going to take me, but I know I am only getting started!” Madison said.

Amanda Neumann

Director of Events

Amanda Neumann sets a new standard not only for BELLAME’s future but also for today’s entrepreneur industry by masterfully crafting experiences of appreciation for their Brand Partners. They are made to feel important, valued and seen—all while capturing the essence of BELLAME’s brand and mission.

“Amanda’s unmatched commitment to BELLAME’s events, marked by meticulous planning and attention to detail is unlike anything I have personally seen in my 30 years in this industry. She delivers a world-class, unforgettable event,” said Melissa Thompson, Founder/CEO.

There’s never a dull moment in events, especially at a start-up brand, but Amanda’s loved planning since she ordered free Disneyland brochures and charted pretend vacations as a child. In college, she connected with Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles working in events and development, then moved on to travel the world in bartending competitions, for which she earned a place in the Top 50 Bartenders in the U.S.

“Everything I’ve done has gotten me to where I am now. Working for BELLAME has been a blessing. I love getting to curate each event and experience for our Brand Partners. I keep setting the bar higher and higher,” explained Amanda. “I am excited to see where this journey takes me and look forward to the growth and achievements that lie ahead.”

Jazlyn Olmedo

Senior People Services Leader

Jazlyn Olmedo has drive, skill, a positive outlook on life and a passion for her career that shines every day. In three years at Red Aspen, she’s worked full time, served as a graduate assistant in STEM and diversity research at Boise State University and completed a master’s degree in organizational performance and workplace learning.

She injects a true passion for creating an inclusive workspace, brand and community that fosters a welcoming environment at Red Aspen’s Treehouse and with Brand Ambassadors, for which Jazlyn leads a voluntary group through annual product, promotion and campaign planning through the lens of diversity and inclusion efforts, CEO/Founder Jesse McKinney shared.

“Overseeing our People Services team and creating a workplace that is fun, welcoming and supportive for all our employees is very rewarding in itself. Additionally, I find leading our Philanthropy and Beauty Inclusion Council program to be inspiring and fulfilling—to lead such positive change and continue making Red Aspen a leading company in both the beauty and direct selling industries while carrying out our mission and values,” Jazlyn said.

Red Aspen is Jazlyn’s first direct selling experience, and her role will continue to evolve as the company grows. That excites her. “We have so many goals and ideas to continue serving our reps and are consistently courageous to pursue those.”

Jessica Pape

International Vice President of Marketing

Jessica Pape is the ultimate team player, who brings talent, skill, fierce loyalty, positivity and a witty sense of humor that keeps everyone at NeoLife International on their toes. She joined the company just before a major rebrand and name change and now finds herself leading a digital transformation and brand refresh.

“It’s exciting to have the ability to drive new brand initiatives. Evolving the visual elements that represent NeoLife and differentiating ourselves from the competition at this significant time in our 65-year history is a challenge I find thrilling,” Jessica said.

Having built a part-time NeoLife business and ranking up to director, Jessica coalesces that field experience with a unique understanding and passion for the industry. “She loves serving our field and makes every decision with their best interests in mind—all with a goal of equipping them with tools and support to make a positive impact,” CEO Kendra Brassfield shared.

Kendra introduced Jessica to direct selling, and now Jessica relies on and values her mentorship. “Kendra has been instrumental in my personal and professional development. She has a remarkable ability to instill self-belief and uncover and amplify strengths. Kendra challenges me to step out of my comfort zone, identifies areas for improvement and enables me to think more creatively.”

Lauren Paul

Chief Brand Officer

It takes a very strong leader to understand the needs of a start-up company like Olbali, and Lauren Paul is just that sort. “Lauren is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get the job done by any means necessary,” said Courtney Adeleye, CEO/Founder.

According to Lauren, helping women learn to market and brand themselves fills her with excitement. “There’s so much untapped potential out there. So many talented women who are afraid to put themselves out there and take a step into the spotlight.”

“I’m able to unlock a whole new world of possibility for these women, simplifying marketing and providing them with the tools they need to take that critical first step outside their comfort zones,” Lauren said of the presentations, video and graphic content she and her team create.

With her creative vision and eye for detail, she has transformed Olbali into a stand-out company and ensures every aspect of the brand reflects the right messaging and values. She approaches each project with a heart of servitude—a reflection of her nursing background—and is motivated by making every consumer feel like family.

“Lauren brings happiness to the entire team with her ability to build a great working environment around her, ultimately transforming the way Olbali approaches marketing,” said Courtney.

Natalia Potter

Product Strategy Senior Manager

Sometimes when posting a job description, HR is aware there’s a slim chance they find a perfect fit. But then there’s a candidate like Natalia Potter, who joined Red Aspen last year and Genie Reese, Co-Founder/Chief Strategy Officer, considers a “unicorn.”

A results-driven specialist with a decade of experience in international business projects, product development and online sales, Natalia exceeded Red Aspen’s best-case scenario. She’s phenomenal at tackling existing challenges, implementing efficient work processes and successfully identifying new growth opportunities.

Hardworking, dedicated, organized, fun and professional, Natalia oversees the entire product development process from ideation to launch, including ensuring that every product adheres to Red Aspen’s “clean beauty” standards and single-handedly developing an ordering timeline to combat the worst supply chain issues.

The world of direct selling is new to Natalia, who is a Japanese translator, was educated in Japanese economics and gained product development and project management experience working in Japan for six years.

“I love seeing the reactions of our brand ambassadors when we launch new products,” shared Natalia. “Our team spends a lot of time concepting, designing and formulating products. And seeing the process all come together with such excitement at the end, so many social media posts about the new products and great feedback is really rewarding.”

Juliana Rochelle

Director of Product Development

Juliana Rochelle earned amazing global knowledge in brand marketing and product development at L’Oreal for a decade before transitioning to Neora in 2021. “She brings innovation and a keen eye for market trends. Juliana is fearless, collaborative, forthcoming and insightful,” Beth Hisey, Director of Marketing, said.

Her skills as a collaborator with Neora’s formulation partners means Juliana is constantly testing and pushing the team to go further.

“I absolutely love what I do!” Juliana said about the exciting and fulfilling freedom she has to develop products that respect a disruptive innovation pace. “A lot of times in this industry you see companies growing mechanically. Here, I’m not tied to a specific launch window that a retailer pushes on me, so I have the freedom to work with R&D labs and push a formula until I know I have hit something that delivers outstanding results, no matter how long it takes.”

Juliana said of her boss and mentor, Amber Olson Rourke, “She has such a clear vision of what her brand needs to stand for and the non-negotiables of her consumer base, and it has helped me greatly to transition into this new industry. It’s easier to work for someone that shares your same values and vision.”

Amber Olson Rourke

CMO/Co-Founder

Amber Olson Rourke is a force at Neora—a passionate creator, marketer, mentor and visionary. She’s a tireless, natural-born leader, who cares about her work, home office teams and the field she supports, empowering people to “own what we do and learn from it—and her,” shared Beth Hisey, Director of Marketing.

After earning a BA in business marketing from University of Florida, Amber began her career in marketing/advertising, which was invaluable to learning how to craft a compelling story and create a brand that resonates with consumers. She also owned and operated a medical spa, giving her an up-close, small business perspective.

Amber has an amazing eye for details—from graphic design layouts to messaging to comp planning. She boils big concepts down into a language that suits her audience and provides direction with clear, actionable steps. Always on top of social trends, marketing perspectives and changes in relationship marketing, Amber’s never afraid to try something groundbreaking. “Her inherent intuition of the business is enviable and admirable,” said Beth.

Her future? According to Amber, the path is clear. “Continuing to evolve Neora to meet the ever-changing landscape of how people want to work and shop. And continuing to be an example to my three girls that they can achieve anything they want with hard work fueled by belief and passion.”

Brittan Sanders

Director of Vision and Strategy

Brittan Sanders climbed the field ranks to lead thousands and earned PaperPie’s prestigious President’s Award. She transitioned to corporate last year and spearheads growth efforts that will impact literacy and learning along with content creation and curation for social media.

After a decade of teaching in the classroom, Brittan is now a direct selling model champion, full of innovative ideas to which her creativity knows no bounds. Gracefully juggling the responsibilities of wife and mother of three, she’s a customer of PaperPie books with immeasurable product knowledge and insight she translates into usable tools.

“Brittan has a pulse on what can take us to the next level and is willing to put forth the effort to make it happen. She works tirelessly, digging in alongside her peers and team members until the job is done,” shared Heather Cobb, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.

No two days look the same with infinite projects, events, marketing campaigns and leadership strategies. “I cannot express how excited I am for the season ahead of us—the clarified mission, the cohesive and current branding and the energy, joy and passion it has brought to and rekindled in our Brand Partners,” Brittan said. “But I truly think the most fulfilling thing is to see a child’s world change because of a PaperPie product.”

Andrew Schmidt

Managing Director / North America

Andrew Schmidt’s leadership of a global discretionary incentives redesign was applied across 100 countries and impacted a million plus Amway business owners. He partnered with CEO Millind Pant strategizing a plan through 2029, which catalyzed growth in emerging markets. Then he spearheaded product sell-through visibility and performance trend enhancements, digital tool development and product price-point strategies to better meet customer and ABO needs.

“Andrew is an architect of lasting change—setting organizational pace at the front and leading at the grassroots,” Cynthia Droog, Vice President, Global Communications shared. “His energy is limitless and inspiring—he races against only himself in pursuit of improving the lives of others. We are proud to have a leader like Andrew at Amway.”

It’s the fundamental appeal of direct selling to the human spirit that inspires and excites Andrew to work closely with both corporate and the field. “The working partnership that we have is a source of excitement and fulfillment every day. We are working together to make the Amway business better in real time.”

Watching his mentor, John Parker, during his decade with Amway has taught Andrew what it means to genuinely listen to distributors, be humble and always approach contentious discussions as opportunities for collaboration. “His leadership is an example I aspire to emulate every day,” Andrew explained.

Blake Shaver

Director of Business Development

Blake Shaver’s ability to foster close working relationships with both Brand Ambassadors, as well as internal and external stakeholders, is pivotal in driving key, new business growth at Plexus Worldwide. His strategic role oversees the development and implementation of sales enablement tools, campaigns, acquisition and loyalty programs, incentives and promotions.

“Blake is the total package­—a strategic and innovative leader with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others at all levels and across roles. He sets the bar for work ethic and leadership accountability by being a role model for others at Plexus and in the field,” shared Joanna Gonos, Director of Internal Communications and PR.

Future focused and results oriented, Blake doesn’t settle for the status quo. Instead, he blazes the trail in an industry this former personal trainer admits caught him by surprise. He credits great people and perpetual learning for propelling his career and now enabling him to call the industry home.

Blake explained what he feels are the channel’s biggest challenges and opportunities. “Staying relevant without losing who we are. It’s important to keep up with technology and continually innovate our approach to the business model. The heartbeat of this channel is people and relationships. I believe it’s what makes us truly special.”

Amber Snow

Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

For more than a decade, Amber Snow’s changemaker prowess has ensured Amway’s approach to employee engagement and culture is thoughtful, impactful and results driven. As one of few diversity, equity and inclusion leads in the industry, Amber blazes a path for other companies to follow with her strong communication and dynamic leadership skills.

From developing brilliant strategy that helps Amway engage meaningfully and impact lives positively to leader advocacy, training and development, hiring and talent processes, inclusion networks, education and awareness, community engagement and data-driven goals and accountability, Amber ensures the company creates a diverse culture.

“Each day is dedicated to integrating diversity and inclusion in every role she’s faced at Amway,” shared Cindy Droog, Vice President, Global Communications.

“We are creating a system designed to bring equity to all, especially those who’ve had systemic barriers to success in a corporate environment,” Amber shared. “Being able to embed diversity, equity and inclusion into our everyday business practices and create a corporate culture that represents all voices is what gets me up each morning.”

For Amber, the biggest industry challenge and opportunity is one and the same. “It’s that we are reliant on the most powerful, yet unpredictable, thing in the world: people!”

Sheila Tran

Digital Art Director

As digital art director for The Happy Co., Sheila Tran’s role brings together the best of artistic expression and strategic impact. “I can shape and elevate the visual identity of the company, playing a key role in capturing the attention and imagination of customers and driving sales through compelling digital experiences. Witnessing the tangible results of my work, such as increased sales, brand recognition and customer loyalty, can be incredibly rewarding,” Sheila explained.

Proactive doesn’t do Sheila justice—she’s constantly looking for ways to improve, whether through branding or user experiences. Sheila possesses all the qualities employers look for in the perfect employee, Clare Holbrook, The Happy Co.’s Chief Marketing Officer explained. “Her flair for graphic design is incredible. Her creativity shows up in everything she touches. Sheila is innovative and has a never-ending flow of ideas.”

Continuous growth, innovation and making a significant impact in the digital space—that’s what Sheila intends for her career. “Embracing emerging technologies, leading creative teams, collaborating strategically with cross-functional teams, enhancing user experiences and contributing to the industry as a thought leader. By pursing these objectives, I aim to make a lasting impact in the digital creative space, drive business success and continue to evolve as a dynamic and innovative professional.”

Kevin Trask

Chief Financial Officer

Kevin Trask came aboard Awakend as a start-up—cold, without previous relationships with its founders. It’s a testament to his proficiency and ability to cultivate trust that he was elevated to CFO in six months.

He’s passionate about establishing strategic growth metrics and KPIs, while maintaining operational and initiative funding liquidity. This strategic vision enabled more than $25 million in sales in the first six months.

“This can be a very delicate balance when overseeing the financial health of any company, but more precarious with a startup, where every penny is acutely analyzed, measured and planned,” said Justin Rose, Awakend President.

An actively licensed CPA, he audited small and large, private and public companies including direct selling companies, while in public accounting. His skills transferred easily and said rejoining the industry has created new opportunities to learn and develop.

From a “finance guy” perspective, without the common goal of generating brand loyalty among younger generations, Kevin said, “We will find our industry contracting in the coming years and decades.”

However, there’s immense industry opportunity in providing a successful landing place for people looking for a side hustle. “They start to see the returns on their money and time investments, then we can attract top leaders to come and grow with us,” Kevin explained.

Kara Trousdale

Chief Commercial Officer

Kara Trousdale comes to Beautycounter following a successful career at Amazon. This outside perspective gives Kara a modern, fresh approach. She prioritizes strong listening, collaboration and partnership building. And—in short order—she has modernized Beautycounter’s highly competitive compensation plan and has been a positive influence to all.

“While this is my first job in direct selling, many principles I learned at Amazon apply to Beautycounter. Two that have been most helpful include ‘Customer Obsession’ and ‘Working Backwards.’ At Amazon, you are trained to always listen to the customer and work backwards to create the products and tools that meet their needs. I have applied this at Beautycounter and encouraged my colleagues to do the same. Some of the strongest insights have come directly from listening to the team that knows our business the best—our Beauty Advocates.”

It’s an approach that is making a difference. Her colleagues shared that, “She embraces all that is so special about the direct sales channel and pairs this with strong ideas on how to innovate, making her a unique leader with a competitive edge. Kara is not someone who stops at simply executing with excellence, she lifts up and inspires others along the way and has the incredible ability to drive this positive influence to her team and ultimately inspire the entire industry.”

Javier Urdaneta

Chief of Staff

Javier Urdaneta’s tireless dedication, leadership and initiative helped him build an operations team from scratch when he was still in his twenties, and he’s since piloted MONAT through fast growth, industry-wide slowdowns, international expansion and a pandemic.

Long before he was aligning day-to-day MONAT activities, supervising systems and process enhancements saving millions, improving customer service and increasing revenue, Javier’s parents gave him an insider’s look at the industry. “I’ve been able to see and experience first-hand the dynamics of working in the field, working with people and witnessing how the industry transforms lives,” he said.

Ray Urdaneta, CEO, MONAT Global, believes Javier to be the face of direct selling’s future—a man highly effective at managing cross functional team relationships, constantly learning and gaining insight to optimize operations. “His team always works ‘with’ him and not ‘for’ him.”

“No day is ever the same. I’m involved in multiple areas, each with its own unique processes and challenges which keeps everything very dynamic! It also provides me with a 360-degree view of the business,” Javier said.

Adapting to realities of post-pandemic life poses challenges, but opportunities await as the industry adapts to Gen Z and leverages new AI technology. “When it comes to AI, companies need to engage now or be left behind,” Javier said.

Lu Urdaneta

Chief Culture Officer

Having grown up in the industry, Lu Urdaneta was a child at her first “rally” with her father. His hunger for life and determination to make things happen, even when they seem impossible, inspired her. “He is a man of his word, honest, passionate and family focused…He shows me every day with his lived example that records are set to be broken and that everything is possible when you believe.”

Lu began work in the industry at 16. Today, she is a guardian of MONAT’s all-important brand voice, leading the family-focused mission; recognizing and developing an all-embracing organizational culture of love, care, unity and gratitude; and reaching out in philanthropy and community engagement through MONAT Gratitude, whose donations top $7 million to fund over 100 community service initiatives to date.

“Lu has inspired a global grassroots movement of giving, making a positive impact on communities around the globe,” Ray Urdaneta, CEO, MONAT Global, said.

“It is my goal to ensure that our culture shines through in everything we do, everywhere we go and to keep a strict focus on these values throughout MONAT,” Lu shared. “It’s often overwhelming to see how kind, generous and determined the MONAT Market Partners are when it comes to supporting those in need.”

Tiffany Wojtkiewicz

President/Co-Founder

Tiffany Wojtkiewicz, co-founding VP of Sales and later Chief Revenue Officer, grew ONEHOPE Wine from 0 to over 250,000 cases, helping place them among the top 200 wineries by volume in the U.S. Today, she leads as President.

“A true channel believer, Tiffany’s goal is democratizing opportunity for diverse peoples and enabling them to break into the wine business. Under her direction, ONEHOPE built one of the wine industry’s most innovative and scalable platforms,” Jake Kloberdanz, Co-Founder, said.

After 15 years, she still comes to work every day excited about growing the brand, bringing purpose to all and working with her Co-Founders, who she names as her greatest mentors. “I cherish the built-in network that we have…always ready to listen, support and challenge each other as well.”

“I oftentimes refer to her superpower of aligning ONEHOPE’s executive team as ‘keeping the band together.’ She inspires our community to be better and more productive. Tiffany is an incredible leader,” Jake explained.

Tiffany’s leadership has not only helped the brand scale in size, but grow its impact. The company, which donates 10% back to a customer’s cause of choice, has proudly donated over $9 million supporting 40,000 nonprofits. “We are changing the world with every bottle sold,” noted Tiffany.

From the July/August 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post DSN 40 Under 40 first appeared on Direct Selling News.

The company, which joined the USHR Board of Directors in early 2023, is committed to making clean-label, fully traceable and sustainable products and owns all of its R&D, extraction capabilities, formulations and manufacturing. 

The Cooks spent time on the Hill meeting with members of Congress to advocate for the Regulate CBD Now campaign, which includes the bills Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act, Hemp Access and Consumer Safety Act, and CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act, which would establish a regulatory framework to make sure CBD products and other non-intoxicating hemp ingredients can be lawfully marketed. It would also require CBD products and hemp extract product manufacturers to comply with existing regulatory frameworks. 

“We are excited to participate in the democratic process and advocate for better, stronger standards across the industry, which would ensure that all hemp-based products in the marketplace are clean and safe,” said Meredith Cook, Green Compass President. “These advocacy efforts here in D.C.—alongside our passionate peers—are important not only to Sterling and me, but also to the thousands of dedicated Green Compass Advocates who educate their communities on the power of hemp and sell our products.” 

The post Green Compass Lobbies for Hemp Regulation  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

From that first time she answered the door and a Watkins “man” stood before her, direct selling carved out a place for women—at first, primarily as customers. Women controlled tight household purse strings and sought products to make domestic chores efficient and ease common ailments.

Yet, eager 20th century female entrepreneurs would soon shine as direct sellers themselves. Evelyn Fuller outsold her husband, Alfred—the original Fuller Brush man—on her first day in 1908 and replicated that accomplishment every day after for two years straight.

By 1910, Madam C.J. Walker—born in 1867 on the same Louisiana plantation where her parents were once enslaved—trained 3,000 “hair culturists” in the use and direct-to-customer sale of her African-American haircare products. She helped originate the role of the self-made, 20th century businesswoman, someone who promoted female talent, rewarded agent success, upheld justice, encouraged political activism and contributed to charitable causes. And let’s not forget, she was also America’s first female millionaire.

Madam C.J. Walker helped originate the role of the self-made, 20th century businesswoman, someone who promoted female talent, rewarded agent success, upheld justice, encouraged political activism and contributed to charitable causes.

“The girls and women of our race must not be afraid to take hold of business endeavor and, by patient industry, close economy, determined effort and close application to business, wring success out of a number of business opportunities that lie at their very doors,” Madam Walker said.

Reflect upon that commanding imagery—”wring success out of business opportunities that lie at their very doors.”

Sheer empowerment lives in that statement. From Madam C.J. Walker’s time until present day 2023, tenacious, brilliant and giving women have stood strong, reached out and empowered their sisters forward, while giving rise not only to some of direct selling’s most successful companies but arguably the present-day industry itself.

Generations of women have always found a way to make life the best it can be for their families, regardless of the challenges. Facing economic hardship, broken relationships and single motherhood, early 20th century women wanted more than the status quo could provide. So, it’s little wonder Frank Stanley Beveridge and his wife Catherine’s home demonstration method for Stanley Home Products exploded in 1939 and delivered American housewives a viable way to work within the confines of home and family, earn money and confidence all while building powerful social networks. Sound familiar?

Women were culturally and professionally under-appreciated into the postwar 1950s and they remained essentially “economically invisible.” But inspired by what they learned at Stanley Home Products, Brownie Wise (Tupperware), Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay Cosmetics), Mary Crowley (Home Interiors) and Jan Day (Jafra) would soon launch women to new horizons and solidify their own legacies as phenoms of direct selling.

Brownie Wise knew how to speak to the dreams of women, but even her marketing genius—the brilliance that created the Tupperware Party—succumbed to 1950s social norms. Thousands of dealer recruits and $100 million in corporate sales, the first woman on the cover of Business Week had no written employment contract and was forced out seven years into her tenure, receiving only $30,000 severance after a court battle. Earl Tupper sold his company for $16 million a few short months later.

Brownie deserves respect as the inventor of the modern party plan, but also for her plucky spirit and drive to empower women that 1950s society pushed to the periphery. “Remember the steam kettle,” she liked to say, “though up to its neck in hot water, it continues to sing.”

“For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour,” Mary Kay Ash said.

In 1963, Mary Kay did just that. Passed over for a promotion at Stanley in favor of a man she had trained, Mary Kay set out to make change, not just for herself but for all women. She launched the predecessor of Mary Kay Cosmetics while mourning the sudden death of her new husband, George, disrupted the status quo and turned the male-dominated workplace on its head.

“Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try,” Mary Kay said. That didn’t sit well with her. She pictured everyone wearing a sign that read, “Make me feel important.” She led with unwavering integrity and fervently believed her company was doing something far more important than just selling cosmetics. Mary Kay changed women’s lives.

At a time when the “American Dream” remained elusive to so many due to societal bias, direct selling made a place for women to finally become economically visible by using their social networks to advance careers beyond “mad money” earnings. Legacy female founders, like Jafra’s Jan Day and Eunice Dudley, who met and worked alongside her husband Joe at Fuller Products, Inc. for decades before co-founding Dudley Beauty Corp., helped women from all walks of life discover what was on the inside and pull it to the outside.

“Success is not money in the bank or the car that you drive or the clothes that you wear or your status in the community,” Mary Crowley, founder of Home Interiors, said. “But success is really the ratio between what you have done and what you can do.”

“Nothing was quite like the reality of getting in that car, packed up with all my things, leaving my family at home and driving in rush hour traffic at night to Ruth’s house,” Pampered Chef Founder Doris Christopher recalled.

Slow traffic gave Doris time to second guess. Was she crazy for thinking kitchen shows would work? She was scared, but she kept driving.

“It’s just such an amazing thing to think about how uncomfortable I was when I had to really do this show and how quickly those fears were at least put aside, if not totally erased by success, by the positive response we got from customers,” Doris said.

The heartaches suffered, hurdles cleared and groundwork laid by direct selling’s extraordinary founding sisters are but one turn of a spinning wheel of inspiration. The next empowering turn comes from the bold, creative and tenacious spirits of these 35 current day female founders, whose modern leadership and vision reflects many of the ideals and principles of their predecessors.

Bianca Lisonbee

Bianca Lisonbee’s advice to women? “Be yourself. Who you are is your greatest asset.”

And from her birth, being Bianca meant embracing a unique origin story. Her immigrant parents were literally enroute from Italy to America when she was born. Her passport lists her birthplace as “At Sea” and each time she signs her name is a reminder of the name of the vessel that carried her family to a new home—Conte Bianca Mano.

“You can imagine the strange looks I get while going through Customs and Immigration when I travel. Reactions range from outright laughter to suspicious looks. The responses make me wonder if officials think I might be some sort of mermaid in disguise!” Bianca joked.

But it is precisely this unlikely beginning that engrained in Bianca an empathy for immigrants. In living that story and in its re-telling over the decades that have passed, Bianca has inspired countless 4Life affiliates and customers around the world. It informs her day-to-day as a founder within the direct selling industry, as well as the good works she undertakes through the creation of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Foundation 4Life.

Because she shares the role of founder with her husband, David, hers were not the challenges faced by many other female founders who have shouldered that responsibility alone. But as Bianca shared, “In my experience with women who have done just that, I think it’s important for us to have a passion for what we are doing. That passion breeds a level of confidence that others are drawn to regardless of gender or anything else. Nothing can stop an enthusiastic woman who believes in what she is doing!”

“Women like Mary Kay Ash are truly legends in this industry. I love how she didn’t wait for anyone to give her permission to succeed. She found a space she was passionate about and went for it,” Bianca said.

Bianca believes it’s not necessary for females to try to be like their male peers. Women often possess a natural ability to network and connect. That’s a great advantage in a relationship business like direct selling. But what all would-be leaders must do is learn from the examples around them.

“It’s important to make sure your company provides a level playing field for growth and progress for all your employees and that would, of course, include women. This is something that needs to be visited and revisited regularly. And yes, it is very important to us because it makes for not only individual satisfaction in the workplace, but helps the entire organization move forward in dynamic ways because an employee who feels valued in their contribution will bring a lot of positive energy and talent to the table.”

Melissa Thompson

Nearly 30 years after Melissa Thompson became an Avon representative, she sat in the founder’s seat at BELLAME and asked a simple question. “Why should someone have to pay us to represent our brand?” The mind-blowing answer: they shouldn’t have to.

This revelation led to Melissa’s construction of direct selling’s first omni marketing opportunity, an increasingly relevant business model in a significantly shifted post-COVID world. “We have gone from entrepreneurs looking for a brand to represent, to them looking to add us to their personal brands,” she explained.

With that comes the need for companies to respect those personal brands and provide entrepreneurs flexibility for multiple brand representation. It’s a new and exciting shift in what direct selling is and will be—one Melissa is truly excited by. She is committed to blazing a trail and changing the game with this forward-thinking business model, not just for BELLAME’s predominately female field, but for the future of entrepreneurship and the direct selling channel.

“The merging of affiliate and network marketing allows us to be perfectly positioned to be the most relevant opportunity for the next generations of social sellers. While I am beyond proud to have pioneered the omni marketing opportunity, I am even more inspired witnessing other brands moving in this direction!” she said.

Melissa’s career started by calling on customers door-to-door but eventually landed her in management, where she passionately advocated for entrepreneurs and their customers. Unlike her male colleagues who expressed equal exuberance and exhibited “true leadership,” Melissa was labeled “dramatic or bossy” in those predominately male boardrooms.

“This obstacle became a catalyst for shaping my career and later creating a brand and environment that celebrates passionate leadership,” Melissa shared.

“I experienced firsthand what it means to step into being unapologetically YOU, but it took a good 15 years to get there. I wish I could share with my younger self what I share now with others: Be confident. Speak up. Embrace who you are and what you have to offer and never, ever play small!” Melissa emphasized.

“From a field perspective, we are a female-dominated industry, yet many boardrooms continue to be male dominated. Creating the next generation of female corporate executives should be a goal for us all as an industry. It is a goal for BELLAME. I plan to help develop tomorrow’s industry leaders, whether they stay with us forever or move on. We are doing our part to ensure the long-term success of our industry,” she said.

Be confident. Speak up. Embrace who you are and what you have to offer and never, ever play small!

Mindy Lin

Mindy Lin never envisioned this path or this journey. She did see herself clearly as a mother that would keep her children safe from things she had faced as a child. But the broader scope—the ability to lead a company that would leave a whole world of women and children safer—that was a bit unexpected. However, she said, “That’s the vision and the dream now.”

“I’ve been continuously inspired by how far and how much good people are willing to go and to give to make a difference in the world,” Mindy said. Her company’s Damsel House Project, a sex trafficking rescue, and the connection of her company’s field to the work in those homes is proof.

“Put a big heart in front of a child that was rescued because of their hard work, and you will never lose them. And place a strong heartfelt mission in the middle of an industry and watch a network of people you barely know, and even “competitors” in the space, rally around to support it,” Mindy said.

Her greatest joy—the ability to make change for the most vulnerable—presents personal difficulties at times. “I would say my greatest challenge has been staying in my lane as the Founder and CEO and not taking on the hardships of the field as my own. Understanding their trauma and what they have overcome, it’s very easy to blur the lines between founder and friend, when you are an empath who loves the people you are leading,” Mindy said.

Yet, this former Mary Kay consultant has found a way. She’s always believed that nothing could stop a woman with a strong work ethic and an even bigger vision. Surrounded by women within her own company and the larger industry that so readily lead by this example, Mindy thinks of them as the modern day versions of the founding female direct sales icons like Mary Kay Ash and Doris Christopher.

“I think that we, as women, are some of the best natural innovators. We face a problem at home or at work and quickly assess for solutions. Make us do the same inefficient task twice and watch us revolutionize it with a hack or delegate it without ego to someone who can do it better,” she said.

“Today, we lead armies of inspiring women bolstered by and proud of their abilities to make a difference in the world for others, not just in themselves or in their households. What an incredible evolution of impact for young female professionals to follow.”

Today, we lead armies of inspiring women bolstered by and proud of their abilities to make a difference in the world for others.

Ursula Dudley Oglesby

Ursula Dudley Oglesby doesn’t remember a time when direct sales wasn’t a part of her life. At ten years old, her parents—who met working for Fuller Products, Inc., spent years at the company’s helm and eventually created their own beauty brand—had Ursula selling door-to-door.

“I wrote my Harvard college application essay about my escapades,” Ursula remembered. She’s certain those direct selling experiences contributed to her acceptance and later work as a student recruiter in Harvard’s Admissions Office.

Ursula had never envisioned becoming the leader of the brand that her parents, Joe and Eunice, built. But, she said, “The universe had a different plan for me.”

A 30-second fire at their company facility resulted in more than property damage. While no one was hurt thanks to quick-thinking employees, she said, “The ensuing challenges almost became too much to bear.”

But the family-owned and -operated business rallied, restructured and in 2008, Ursula found herself as President and CEO of Dudley Beauty Corp. “I had to use all of my knowledge and experience up to that point to lead the company. It was challenging and exciting at the same time.”

Ursula learned to trust herself and believe in her abilities and now tells young women, who are just starting their careers, to remember: “You have everything you need to be successful. You will encounter challenges and obstacles, but always remember your mission and you will prevail.”

Taking inspiration from Mary Kay Ash, an icon and legend she was privileged to meet, Ursula shared, “She let nothing stop her and built a fabulous company. Her life helped me to develop part of my mission statement. My chief aim is to give men and women a dose of hope by enriching their lives so that every time they look in the mirror, they can truly see the beauty on the outside and the inside and know in their mind that ‘God didn’t take time to make a NOBODY!’”

Ursula is no fan of bureaucracy and empowers her staff by keeping an open door and open mind. She channels her passion for business and personal development into classes that she teaches whenever she can. And to survive and thrive through the COVID pandemic, creative and innovative thinking came to the forefront of her leadership style.

Dudley Beauty Corp’s multi-channel business model faced significant challenges during the world health crisis. “The majority of our business had been through beauty salons, and they were shut down. I had to learn how to pivot quickly and to make critical business decisions,” Ursula said.

“I began to sell hand sanitizer, developed programs for the hair stylists to earn money from home and increased my eCommerce footprint. Dudley Beauty Corp. became a leaner and healthier organization as a result,” she said.

Sylvie Rochette & Amelia Warren

Like so many young mothers, Sylvie Rochette was feeling the pressure of dinner. It needed to be fast. It needed to be healthy. And she needed her kids to eat it. But accomplishing that every night with what was available at her local grocer was increasingly unlikely. It seemed like nobody cooked from scratch anymore. Everything was highly processed and boxed and not very good for you—or your family.

Sylvie began experimenting at home with wholesome seasonings and spices and soon met success around her own dinner table that would spill out to family, friends, farmer’s markets and trade shows. In 1997, she launched Epicure, which would go on to become direct selling’s largest Canadian-founded party plan company.

Amelia Warren was one of those kids sitting around Sylvie’s table and says her mother gave rise to a food movement that has nourished and changed millions of lives. “Since then, our family business has been a woman-run company, empowering women in our corporate team and our community,” Amelia said.

“We understand that for our home team to fill the cup of others, they must fill their own first. We believe in women; we empower women; we support women; we walk the walk and talk the talk,” Amelia shared.

That means equal opportunities for career advancement, a safe work environment, open communication as well as education and development opportunities. “We support our parents with flexibility (hours, remote), paid time off to attend medical appointments or a school play, paid sick days, paid maternity and paternity leave and create awareness through regular diversity, equity and inclusion training for both our home office team and field leadership,” Amelia said.

Epicure meets its Canadian and U.S. staff where they are with what they need to be successful at work and at home. They meet their field consultants and their customers using the same attention-to-need philosophy.

“Customers must be able to easily purchase from us—whether that’s online, on social media, in person, at cooking classes or via a frictionless eCommerce experience,” Amelia said. “To differentiate, we need to add value in every interaction.”

And it is the brand ambassador who remains vital to Epicure expanding its reach. “Equipping them with simple tools and strategies they can implement quickly to monetize their community, grow a robust client base and build customer loyalty is key,” she said.

Amelia leads an agile and entrepreneurial company bent on expansion and growth, applying vertical integration strategies, rapid product innovation, a focus on higher product quality and increased availability.

“While we are always evolving, as a multi-generational family business, we make all our decisions with the next generation in mind. We are not a flash-in-the-pan company; we will be here through the tough times and thrive because we have a big mission—to serve our communities by helping time-starved families connect across the table to share epic food, eat healthier and live better.”

While we are always evolving, as a multi-generational family business, we make all our decisions with the next generation in mind.

Meredith Cook

Meredith Cook is well acquainted with the success sentiment that says, “You just have to start where you are and not wait until you think you are ready.”

Despite a deep fear of public speaking, Meredith armed herself with marked up notes and took refuge behind a podium every single time she addressed a crowd during the early days of Green Compass Global. She relied heavily on them, until finally—little by little—fear loosened its grip.

“I am not embarrassed to admit any of this because I know it helps our Advocates develop confidence in themselves and know that they too can get outside their comfort zones, feel the fear but jump in anyway,” Meredith shared.

“I think that many people have been conditioned to play small and that makes sense when you understand that your brain just wants to keep you safe. Our survival instinct equates sameness with safety,” she explained.

That’s probably why naysayers perpetually popped up when Meredith shared what they thought were “unrealistic” goals. Most people couldn’t envision the rapid growth she knew her hemp-based wellness company would attain. Of course, there was also the added factor of being a female founder.

“I have encountered times when my vision was taken even less seriously, especially by male counterparts or I was patronized when casting my vision,” she said. But unwavering support, respect and belief flowed freely from her husband and Co-Founder, Sterling, as well as Green Compass’s entire executive team and many others.

“As women, one of our many superpowers is to lead with both our intuition and our intellect. In hindsight, I can confidently say that intuition, intellect and unwavering belief in myself and my vision has led to my success. There’s no room for doubt, so instead I’ve learned to trust myself and inspire those around me to think bigger—even when it’s uncomfortable,” she said.

According to Meredith, it’s vital to never let other people’s doubts shrink your vision. Women should follow their hearts and trust their intuition, then partner it with grit, determination, belief in yourself and hard work. “But you must take that leap into the unknown and get outside of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid of where you will land. Once you jump, your safety net will appear!”

The trick to empowerment is in creating a safe environment where women can be honest, authentic and take risks. It takes connection and trust to build a sanctuary of sorts like Green Compass, where women know they can be vulnerable. It also takes a leader who purposefully targets and prioritizes empowering women, leads with empathy and admits to mistakes.

“When women know you believe in them and trust their abilities, value their opinions and expertise and care about them, they can thrive,” she said. “People need to hear from your heart and feel your energy.”

Kathy Coover

Women push to do more and be more, prioritizing family and wearing an array of “hats” multiple times a day in order to balance work and life. Kathy Coover—a self-proclaimed over-achiever—doesn’t see that changing. “Over-achievers often think we must do everything ourselves, but training others and learning to trust others is crucial to your success and well-being,” she said.

Kathy did her fair share of swapping hats when Isagenix was a fledgling direct selling company. “That’s where I believe true learning happens,” she said. And that hectic, unbalanced time taught her to embrace her passion for field sales and marketing, then stretch to grow into the rest.

Soon, Kathy used her decade as a top field leader to simplify business growth for associates and gave them what they needed to succeed. “It was special to me because it allowed me to link arms with the field and work together for a common goal. To this day, I believe bonding and collaborating with the field creates the most successful outcome, culture and loyalty,” she said.

Post-pandemic, amid a competitive business climate that not only includes other direct selling companies but also the likes of Amazon, people who want and need sustaining incomes demand simplicity. “If it’s not easy, they’re not interested in the model because they have other options like becoming an Amazon influencer. People want to know exactly what they will get paid, so affiliate options become very desirable,” Kathy said.

According to Kathy, direct selling companies must continue to adapt and create platforms for like-minded Millennials and Gen Z to create bonds, seek personal growth and fulfillment, learn new life skills, challenge themselves and take control of their destinies.

“When used properly, these influencers can attract many new customers, and customer base is key,” she said.

For female entrepreneurs, Kathy said, “They aren’t dependent on anyone else to make or break their careers; promote them or hold them back; review their work or judge them in any way. It’s a very satisfying feeling to be in control of your career.”

Were she able to advise her younger self, Kathy shared that she would remind herself of a few simple facts. “Success takes time. Be patient with yourself. Set big goals with deliverable actions attached to them. Constantly evaluate your results and make necessary adjustments. Collaborate more. Collaboration stimulates everyone to be creative and think out-of-the-box. Watch what other successful companies and leaders are doing to get ideas to expand your reach. Never stop challenging yourself.”

Nancy Bogart

“I was tired of people telling me how far I could go,” Nancy Bogart said. And the company she founded in her Missouri kitchen not only propelled her career to unimaginable heights, but also offered limitless potential to so many others.

Nancy was told “no” over and over because she was a woman. She was ignored because she was a woman. It happened so frequently, she said that, “It became quite comical to me. I sometimes would just mentally take note and think what a fun chapter they would be in my book someday.”

On days when rejection seemed to pile up, it was that future success story where she focused and gained immense inspiration to keep going. “Our first bank said ‘no’ to us, but our second bank said, ‘yes.’ They got over $30 million in business that the first bank missed out on,” she said.

Nancy’s best advice? Stop second-guessing. It’s a waste of time. Arm yourself with double-checked facts; be true to who you are; and just go for it. “If you screw up—you can fix that too!” she shared. “Write your story, sister!”

Nancy also took a deep dive into the histories of direct selling’s legacy pioneers before she started Jordan Essentials, reading book after book. Then she cultivated “deep roots” with contemporaries—Jill Blashack Strahan, Joan Hartel, Joni Rogers-Kante, Madolyn Johnson and more—who each became amazing friends and mentors.

Deeply rooted relationships like these create a unique vibe within the industry—with customers, consultants and coworkers. “I do not see this anyplace else. I love it!” she said.

As Nancy thinks about the future, meeting the challenges brought by competition and consumer needs, she said, “Those deep roots weather the storms and have kept us going 23 years later—and they will keep us going long into the future.”

“My business is not in my kitchen anymore, so it’s 100 percent very different than I had envisioned and much more spectacular than I could have imagined. I am so very grateful and humbled daily,” Nancy shared.

Yet, as her story continues to unfold, it can at times be personally challenging to drive corporate growth without succumbing to her workaholic tendencies, and she constantly strives to find and maintain balance and fulfillment in each aspect of her life. Nancy’s most significant obstacle as a direct selling founder has been striving to succeed without losing sight of her original purpose.

Write your story, sister!

Michele Gay & Madison Mallardi

Driven by achievement and a diligent focus on earning the next level, field leaders at LimeLife by Alcone simply burned out in the early days of the company. Their businesses caused friction at home and took a toll on the women and their families. When Michele Gay and Madison Mallardi figured out what was happening, they re-prioritized female wellness over results and changed their model for success.

“We didn’t know if that was going to lead to our decline, but it didn’t feel right to push women to the point of breaking. What we discovered was that by asking them to pull back, they were able to achieve much more,” Michele said.

Rethinking how time and energy are spent, especially when it comes to work/life balance, remains top of mind for everyone. With no limit to earning potential, the ability to make a difference in lives quickly and access to support from people who want to help you, direct selling makes sense. But perhaps the most compelling advantage is the way direct sellers can immediately practice and adopt desired entrepreneurial behaviors for success.

“If you put 100 direct sellers in a Tony Robbins training, most will leave and put into practice the behaviors he is hoping you will adopt. I don’t think you get that result with 100 non-direct sellers,” Michele said.

“The key is for the next generation to understand that owning your own direct sales business is real entrepreneurialism,” Michele said.

But if you’re just getting started, Madison believes in perseverance. “Don’t be discouraged. Working in this industry is a journey, not a destination. Make time to celebrate the wins—big or small—even if it feels like there is no time.”

And take a look at direct selling with a wide lens. Few jobs allow kids to see their moms in action at work. “I think it is very inspiring to the next generation to watch their parents in direct sales; doing what they love; putting in the work; and going after their goals. Children are more likely to be entrepreneurial and have higher expectations for their careers one day,” Madison explained.

With the normalization of social media influencers monetizing their personal brands, Michele said, “I think we have a real opportunity to turn the negative stigma of our model into the very best financial opportunity for influencers.”

Amber Olson Rourke

Amber Olson Rourke’s passion for the direct selling industry lies in helping women find their voices. Tapping into a woman’s truest and strongest voice can help her learn to use that voice for good and create a business that can increase and optimize her life choices down the road.

Amber grew up in direct sales with parents who first built large, successful field organizations, then worked as executives. She had a front row seat to the power and beauty of the business model. Eventually, the trio worked together to build Neora.

“Hands down, this industry provides one of the best platforms to directly impact people’s lives,” Amber said.

Direct selling companies are inherently agile and lean. This nimble way of doing business can accelerate execution to market, as well as individual employee growth when compared to traditional corporate environments.

“Within Neora, we have several director level managers who started in our call center and worked their way up. And I know this to be true in many other companies as well. When we identify good people, we invest in developing them,” she said.

“Anyone who is going to make a truly big impact has to be willing to take risks, willing to deal with disappointment, willing to advocate for their ideas and have a massive amount of passion and vision,” Amber said.

These are the characteristics Neora cultivates within the ranks. “For us, it is all about creating a culture where everyone feels valued, included and has an equal seat at the table. If you create that environment, the right people will rise up regardless of what gender, ethnicity or sexuality they are. We are very proud of the diverse nature of the people who have risen to leadership roles within Neora,” Amber said.

Intuition has never led Amber wrong. She has, however, deferred to those who were more seasoned and later regretted it. So now Amber listens to her truest and strongest voice and stands firm in her viewpoints. At the same time, she’s challenged herself to calm those nurturing tendencies that come so easy and stop riding to the rescue.

“If you fix everyone’s problems, you are robbing them of the opportunity to learn the lessons and are making them dependent on you for the solutions. An effective leader creates other leaders, not followers. So, changing my natural responses to be ones that coached and challenged people in love, so they could develop into leaders is not something that came naturally to me. I had to put in the time to develop this skill,” Amber explained.

Chani Reeve & Misty Kirby

“Women who decided to go for it will always be a source of inspiration for us. We admire anyone who is brave enough to share their vision with the world,” Chani Reeve said.

And in many ways, Chani and her fellow founder, Misty Kirby, are exactly those kind of women. Paparazzi Accessories was born organically from customers who loved and purchased their products at fairs and expos then wanted to host home parties. Word-of-mouth spread, the requests became more frequent and Chani and Misty sought new ways for others to participate.

In the beginning, they were quick to dismiss Paparazzi’s potential for changing lives. But their field of consultants proved they could apply the business model to overcome incredible obstacles and hardships to shape lives they never dared to dream about. Almost daily, the company founders feel lucky to hear their stories of perseverance and success.

“Women are notoriously adaptable, and there is no doubt that younger generations will find innovative ways to reap the same rewards from the business model for years to come,” Chani said.

Direct selling offers hope and empowerment, but it takes hard work. “We’ve found that people are often hoping for an easy fix, with their focus being on finding the next best thing, rather than resolving issues as they arise. We have always been problem solvers and continue to address issues head-on which is not always easy, but always worth it,” Chani said.

This means facing the largest of obstacles for any company—growth. “When a company starts to become successful, in order to maintain a growth curve, you have to grow individually. Growth can be a roadblock or a challenge. Finding more space, more employees and keeping up with inventory can become overwhelming if you let it,” she said.

Learning opportunities are disguised as problems and obstacles. So, staying open to that education and trusting your instincts along the way is the best advice for young women just starting out in their careers.

“Mentoring the women within our corporate organization is important to us. We strive to do this by reinforcing the company vision and our mission statement. Women empowering women is at the core of our business. Sometimes, the only way to grow is to step back and let them make their own mistakes. Once they have learned the ins and outs, place them in roles that allow them to use their strengths—and everything else falls into place,” Chani said.

Patty Brisben

One of Patty Brisben’s constants in life is education—the never-ending desire to learn and teach. Disseminating information about women’s sexual health has made all the difference for her and the lives of countless others that have heard her speak; worked and advocated alongside her; and purchased Pure Romance products.

Sharing and contributing to society’s knowledge base through college lectures meant Patty connected with men and women from all walks of life who shared some degree of commonality—they were in some way ignorant about their own and each other’s bodies. During Yale Sex Week—a favorite of her experiences—she remembered thinking, “These are the people that will run our country one day, and they don’t even know their anatomy.”

“To this day, when I’m out and about, I run into someone that tells me I spoke to their class, and that it influenced their career. Now they are physicians or gynecologists or working in women’s sexual health. It really makes me so happy. I am so proud of all the doors we have opened for women’s sexual health through Pure Romance and the Patty Brisben Foundation,” she said.

Patty never expected Pure Romance to grow so rapidly. She never looked at the company as a way to sell products. Instead it was a path toward education and empowerment for consultants and consumers. She surrounded herself with positive, good people who pushed her forward and helped when times got tough.

It was vital, she learned, to turn off the noise and stay clear of negativity. “I feel extremely lucky that when I started there weren’t dozens of social channels where people could openly express their opinions. You can’t get caught up in the negativity and opinions of others if you want to continue growing as an entrepreneur and business owner. You need to spend your energy on growing your company,” Patty explained.

Staying true to her “why” guided Patty through many challenges, including potentially dangerous ones like when she was not taken seriously as a female founder by men who joined her company. “It has the capability to change the dynamic in the room when you bring others that may not support your vision fully to the table,” she said.

“I look at everything as a learning opportunity, and we can all focus together on getting better and stronger.”

That means empowering others by always listening, bringing people to the table and allowing them to present their ideas and opinions.

“My biggest reward is seeing people who have come from nothing who build confidence and succeed. I have witnessed this throughout my career, and it is what keeps me excited and fulfilled every single day,” she said.

Jesse McKinney, Amanda Moore & Genie Reese

There’s no way Jesse McKinney, Amanda Moore and Genie Reese’s founding expectations included leading Red Aspen through hypergrowth during a global pandemic, but that’s the amazing ride they got.

“I did not envision how fulfilling it would be, how hard it would be, nor the impact this company would have on women across the United States,” Jesse shared.

“It was a difficult time to have children and be a woman because trying to manage a work/life balance was challenging,” Amanda agreed.

Red Aspen offered little pleasures—indulgences for at-home self-care—and their product popularity launched them into hypergrowth and the subsequent management of thousands of brand partners from a small home office space.

“Hypergrowth forces you to reach new levels of flexibility, dedication and determination,” Jesse said.

But Jesse, Amanda and Genie were unwavering in their support of each other and bent on riding that roller coaster together. “I firmly believe that our established support, trust and compassion for each other helped us be successful as co-owners of a business,” Jesse said.

Developing and empowering women inside their headquarters that they call the “Treehouse” is a major priority and practice for positive company growth. “As founders, our mission is to inspire women to stand up, stand out and stand together by uniting passion with purpose,” Amanda explained.

With a 90 percent female staff, women drive forklifts and trucks. They may hire in for shipping, but move quickly to the support team. Company leaders dig into employee talents and channel them into the best corporate roles for individual growth. “Ultimately, creating a space where team members can grow in their profession, is a valuable tool in building empowered team members,” Genie said.

When they consider the stories of legacy female founders of direct selling, it’s easy for these three determined women to see parallels to their own experience. They began as a small team with limited funds, alongside a big dream they wanted to accomplish. Following the lead of pioneers like Mary Kay, they created and continue to operate Red Aspen in a way that empowers their brand partners and allows them to be successful.

“We are continuously amazed at how hardworking, close-knit and supportive our direct selling community is. We are not just a network of female business owners, we are like a family,” Jesse said. “The people, places, events and decisions that we have met, been, had and made at Red Aspen have helped us, as Founders of the company, to be better leaders, visionaries and entrepreneurs.”

Dr. Katie Rodan & Dr. Kathy Fields

Timing is everything. And six months after Rodan + Fields launched their retail brand in 2004, Estee Lauder Companies came calling, and they were acquired. But department store traffic fell off with the recession of 2008 and soon Founders Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields risked it all to buy back their company and relaunch their brand in the direct selling channel.

“Based on our Proactiv experience—a brand launched on infomercials in 1995 during a recession—we learned two things that influenced our decision to retreat from retail: First, recessions bring out the entrepreneurs—and second, alternative forms of selling and distributing products can be highly successful,” Katie said.

In the beginning, they never imagined they would create skincare brands that would rival the biggest companies in the world. But they did and, in doing so, invented a paradigm shift in the way acne, and now other skincare and haircare issues are treated. In turn, the lives of millions of people across the world changed. Skin issues should no longer take a toll on self-esteem or confidence.

“We heard a lot of ‘no’s’ before we launched Proactiv. When we started out, neither Katie nor I had the business background that made traditional investors trust our vision. There were many closed doors,” Kathy remembered.

Relaunching Rodan + Fields as a direct seller also presented challenges, but they stuck to their vision. “We had a passion and have always been compelled to go forward,” Kathy said.

“Unlike a lot of guys who were born with ‘swagger,’ I’ve observed that, especially in women, achieving success is stepwise and comes from proving to yourself that you can do hard things. In other words, personal growth doesn’t happen overnight. Self-improvement is a worthy lifelong pursuit and much of what I have learned about myself, I learned through being an entrepreneur,” Katie shared.

Balancing it all hasn’t been easy. “We are women with families; we are also entrepreneurs, practicing dermatologists and take our commitment to our R+F community and practice patients seriously. We have learned you must collaborate and partner. It’s all about getting our aces in the right places—surrounding yourself with the right people, the right expertise and the right talent,” Kathy explained.

As Rodan + Fields celebrates its 15-year anniversary, they are proud of their majority female executive team, consultant base and the many women serving in leadership roles. “We also value balance,” Dr. Rodan said. “We are strong believers that the best teams have diverse perspectives and expertise.”

They respect the strong vision and steadfast purpose that trailblazing direct sellers like Mary Kay Ash and Brownie Wise applied while creating legacy brands. “It’s inspirational to think about these strong women, who thrived against all odds and succeeded in building companies that have been around for decades. We are still talking about them today,” Kathy said. “What they created is incredible—they truly had no playbook.”

Heidi Thompson

“Love,” Heidi Thompson said, “is the fuel and reward for what we do.”

And it’s love that surprised her the most over the years and influenced so many corporate decisions—from how to finance operations to the amount of time personally invested in the lives of their people.

“I tend to view the employee experience from the position of a mom and advocate for policies and practices that support that point of view. I find that when we create an environment where moms can feel valued, supported and understood at work, even the men find work more pleasant,” Heidi explained.

Scentsy’s intuitive Founder relishes the child-like wonder, contagious optimism, connection, love and kindness of her chosen industry. And the impact of the company that she started in a tiny, converted barn on the family sheep farm has surpassed her expectations time and again.

“I was looking for a way to get out of debt; then it was to provide a living for my family; then it became about setting a good example for my children and serving people who believed in and helped us. Serving others motivated every good decision and led to every positive impact,” Heidi shared.

But at times, fear drowned out her voice. “As we grew, we hired people who were more educated and experienced than me. I knew what needed to happen, but I couldn’t explain myself well enough to data-driven executives. I felt intimidated and went along with decisions I didn’t support. Fear stopped me from speaking up,” she remembered.

Scentsy’s culture suffered; sales declined. To return to growth, Heidi said, “I had to trust my instincts; overcome my fear; advocate for necessary change; and reform the executive team with people who could respect my voice.”

Heidi stopped limiting her potential. As Sir Richard Branson once said, “If people aren’t calling you crazy, you aren’t thinking big enough!”

Out the window of their first “office” was a vacant 320,000 square foot building. It was for sale for $15 million. Her husband and Co-Founder, Orville said they should find a way to buy it because in five years Scentsy would need it, and it would cost twice as much.

“I thought he was crazy. That building was 1,000 times bigger than our little office, and our sales were less than $500,000 per year!” Heidi said. Turns out, Orville wasn’t thinking big enough back then. Scentsy occupies more than 1.5 million square feet today.

“Direct selling will always appeal to people at a certain time in their lives. Each year there are new people entering that time of life, but there are also people leaving that time of life,” Heidi said. “We see our market as a target with a certain demographic as the bullseye. Each year the people in that demographic change—so must we.”

Sarah Shadonix

Taking that first step—the initial foray into a lesser known industry or business—that’s what Sarah Shadonix shared was the hardest part of founding a company. A novel idea sparks excitement, but that idea alone doesn’t make for a successful company.

“We have to flesh it out, cast vision to others and show them how they can win alongside us if we want to succeed. Along the way, we encounter naysayers and critics who tell us all the things that are wrong with our idea,” Sarah said. “But we have to keep going. We have to filter through the noise, identify the valuable feedback, continue to ideate, adjust, build consensus and momentum and never give up.”

By founding Scout & Cellar, a clean-crafted winery, Sarah stands firmly straddling a line between direct selling and the alcohol beverage industry, which has been a man’s world for generations. “The alcohol beverage industry has a diversity problem that includes, but also extends beyond gender,” Sarah said.

To her way of thinking, that means the entire alcohol beverage industry is missing out. If customers aren’t represented in the boardroom, on leadership and marketing teams, how can they speak authentically to customers or prospective customers?

“We should be hiring women, listening to them and creating space for them to grow and elevate,” Sarah explained. But it’s about more than just creating opportunity for workers, diversity is vital to creating opportunities for businesses too and expanding the entire alcohol industry.

“That’s what we’ve done with our mostly female field of independent consultants and our executive team. But we have a long way to go and can do so much more to broaden our diversity beyond gender,” she noted.

The direct selling industry “empowers women and others to work a meaningful business in the pockets of their day and still be present as parents, partners or in other relationships and also have other careers,” Sarah said.

That’s the best part of direct selling. “That’s how we win. We must continue to create and emphasize this opportunity—the side hustle is always in style.”

While direct selling carries a stigma that remains an obstacle, Sarah commits Scout & Cellar to lean fiercely into their core values, respect the regulatory environment and celebrate their spirit of innovation. They do so to overcome the negatives because direct selling positively impacts people, offers fast-paced and innovative product lifecycles and allows individuals to work with people from diverse industries.

Joni Rogers-Kante

Like many people laying the groundwork for their own company, 24 years ago Joni Rogers-Kante thought it might be easier than it really was. She launched SeneGence with a flagship product—the first, long-lasting lip color ever—and it took the market by storm. Success seemed inevitable, and it was.

As Joni shared, “What a journey we have had! Putting a company together from scratch was definitely a learning experience and test of grit!”

Success, she said, is never achieved alone. Hers is a family company with husband Ben and their eldest son Alan in vital roles, and many staff members include husbands, wives and children of employees. “This creates a legacy both inside and outside the walls of our offices,” Joni explained.

Being a company founded for women by women makes empowering them to be successful part of the SeneGence DNA. Call it paying it forward, perhaps, because Joni fondly recalls her days as an independent distributor and the connection she felt to Mary Kay Ash. “I met with Mary Kay Ash personally on several occasions and was blessed to learn this industry directly from her. She was not only an influence, but a role model I hope I’ve lived up to,” she said.

Today, Joni advises women, “You know best what works for you. However, you must be honest with yourself and recognize your own shortcomings and put together a plan to overcome them. Trust your gut and do what feels ‘right’ for you, your family and your life.” And show up for work every day—consistency pays off.

Despite encounters with people who thought they knew best and tried to convince Joni of it, she’s remained consistent in her vision and commitment to the unique SeneGence culture. She’s learned that credentials and resume expertise don’t always “fit.” The nuances associated with really knowing and understanding a company is vital to contributing to its success in the long term.

That said, Joni believes adapting to an ever-changing market is at once the industry’s biggest opportunity and challenge. “We can’t allow ourselves to get caught up in, ‘This is how we have always done things.’ We must access and evaluate our business constantly. However, we must always be true to who we are, protect our company culture and keep our independent distributors’ best interests at the forefront of everything we do.”

Chrissy Weems & Bella Weems Lambert

Hard work is at the heart of the Origami Owl origin story. Chrissy Weems wanted to teach her then 14-year-old daughter, Bella, the importance of work ethic, perseverance and chasing dreams. Bella had her eye on earning enough money to buy a car, but the company this mother/daughter team created in 2011 turned into something far greater.

Growth came quickly, and Chrissy unexpectedly found herself leading the home office team and Purpose Partners (field distributors). “We never could have anticipated how quickly we grew. Because of my daughter’s dream and ambition, my life as well as the lives of countless others have been changed—truly changed—in immeasurable ways,” Chrissy said.

Today, Origami Owl is but one brand under the umbrella of Think Goodness, a collective launched in 2021 that broadens its overall product portfolio to include wellness, lifestyle and good-for-you beauty products. They’ve also established the Giving Goodness Foundation, a nonprofit that expands and focuses their charitable endeavors to create a ripple effect of good in the world.

“It’s the people. Observing the growth in our internal team members and with our Purpose Partners has been beyond fulfilling. I’m so passionate about helping others find meaning and purpose in their lives. It’s inspiring to witness the change in confidence, self-esteem and personal growth these women develop by being part of our mission,” she said.

Direct selling provides the opportunity for individuals to create change in their lives, and Chrissy believes the same can be true for the industry itself, but there are challenges. “As a channel, we’re antiquated and misunderstood. There are many misconceptions about direct selling based on poor leadership and shady practices from bad actors within the industry. This stigma hurts us all,” she said.

By collectively making forward-thinking decisions as industry leaders, credibility can be gained. The industry needs to face fear: “fear of change, fear of channel conflict in an omni-channel world, fear of losing leaders, fear of innovating our businesses to remain relevant in the modern world,” Chrissy said. “The world has changed. I believe we must evolve and adapt.”

It’s a customer-centric world. The way consumers shop and what they have access to have drastically changed. While many direct selling companies have robust back-end reporting systems and commissions engines, their front-end eCommerce experiences fall short. She’s certain that to succeed, customer experience must be a top priority.

“Social media is reshaping the way people see direct selling,” Chrissy said. Having grown to adulthood within the industry, Bella is expanding her reach and finding success cultivating relationships on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. “We must evolve with the times by utilizing new tools and strategies to foster relationships and share incredible products, Chrissy explained. “Influencer marketing is what the direct selling channel has always been, and utilizing social media is just the new way of doing business in today’s world.”

Cindy Monroe

Mary Kay Ash once said, “Women only step into 10 percent of their potential.” That has stuck with Cindy Monroe for years and inspired her to not only live in more of her own potential, but also to help other women tap into more of theirs.

Her journey with Thirty-One Gifts has taken many turns, and as one would expect some were within her control and some without. The company has exceeded her expectations for growth over and over again, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t learned valuable lessons about the nuances of being a female founder.

“There have been times when the feedback I received from my male direct reports was less than honest, simply because I am a woman,” Cindy recalled.

“I think men are used to cutting to the chase and being direct with other men. When it comes to communicating with women, they learn to respect the females in their lives, such as their mothers and wives—which I admire—but when it comes to business, I need to hear it straight. There have been moments when the company suffered because men would hold back from telling me the truth. I value honesty—even if it’s uncomfortable—and as female executives, we need it,” Cindy said.

She has led Thirty-One Gifts with heart and built the company culture with relationships at its core. And it’s the love, respect and admiration she feels for the employees and sales associates and their families that continues to inspire her. “The relationships that I have because of direct selling totally exceed what I have ever thought was possible in a career!” Cindy said.

Getting to know kids’ names, their dogs and favorite vacation hideaways—even when their daughter or son gets married—these details build authentic relationships at corporate and between sales associates, but especially with customers.

“The challenge today is it’s easy to get away from that and rely too much on social media tools and influencers to promote products. We need to lean back into our core of building relationships,” Cindy said.

Social media hearts and likes don’t qualify as a “connected contact,” and as Thirty-One Gifts focuses its efforts on relationship building, consultants find more sales and sponsor new team members.

If given the chance to speak to her younger self, Cindy would say, “Embrace change early and see it as a positive. Invest time into an executive forum before you ‘need’ it. Listen to your inner coach and don’t give the data too much weight. Create a margin between your role at the office and home. Set clear expectations for your team and hold them accountable.”

Mary Young

When Mary Young’s husband, Gary, told her he wanted her to take the job of CEO, she argued against it. She never envisioned herself in such a leadership role. She was Gary’s partner. They were a team, going back to the days when they founded Young Living.

“I didn’t believe that I could do it,” Mary remembered.

Yet as Co-Founder of a wildly successful direct selling business, Mary assisted Gary in nearly every facet of the company. She knew the business well and over time came to realize she could take charge; she could lead; she could inspire others to join her.

Using logic and common sense as her guide, Mary learned the business from the ground up, sharing in the decision making with Gary until his passing. “There was a tremendous loss without my husband,” Mary said. “But gradually, we have filled those gaps and so many employees have risen to great heights in understanding how we want to grow our business.”

The power of the CEO, she said, is to work to empower others. Mary enjoys looking for opportunities, encouraging and watching people grow and become successful in their individual responsibilities.

“We have many female leaders at Young Living who are guided by nature’s journey in our mission to empower wellness, purpose and abundance for communities around the world,” she said.

“The appeal of direct selling lies in its potential for individuals to become entrepreneurs, own their own businesses, and create their defined success. It’s a thrill to see women, especially in some other countries, where they have little opportunity to create their own independence and financial freedom. Today, more women want to be entrepreneurs. They want to have their own businesses and create their own success. Young Living offers this kind of freedom for women of any generation,” Mary explained.

What advice would she offer to young women entering the channel through corporate direct selling or the field? Surround yourself with honest, skillful, intelligent people who care about others and about doing what is best for the business. Communicate and be open to those you hire. Listen and never jump to conclusions. Carefully consider the best interests of the company, brand partners and employees in every decision.

“With strong female leaders who continue to share our story, we can challenge outdated perspectives and promote an exciting future full of discoveries of success in the direct sales industry,” Mary said.

Erin Bradley

Developing female leaders is absolutely a purposeful target for Erin Bradley, and she believes that direct sales offers a unique opportunity for women to truly learn what it means to lead.

Leadership roles in typical corporate jobs often resemble an “or else” scenario. It’s a leadership style with “many sticks and not enough carrots,” Erin said. But direct sales is different. “Instead, leaders have to blaze a trail; create the map to guide their team; inspire them to follow it; and cheer them on at every stage. It’s a lot more work but far more rewarding and with more enduring results.”

This crystallized for Erin when demand and growth at Zyia Active surged during the pandemic. “It wasn’t easy. We had to rethink most of our supply chain, double our staff and triple our warehousing capacity in a very short timeframe,” she said.

While exciting, the pace paired with safeguarding the health and safety of staff challenged them. However, Erin said, “This period in our growth cemented a lot of partnerships and taught us who we could rely on both internally and externally.”

“The majority (around 70 percent) of our leadership roles are held by women. To date, we’ve never hired a woman into a leadership role from outside the company. Each manager, director or VP grew into their role by rising to challenges through our high-growth period, mentoring others and demonstrating initiative and teamwork at every turn,” Erin explained.

This is surely a by-product of a culture that places cooperation and community in high esteem and relegates competition and division to the trash heap. “It’s a delight to see leaders from different teams organizing events together, training each other’s teams and shouting out each other for a job well done. That doesn’t happen everywhere,” Erin said.

To Erin, people matter more than projections, numbers and data. “If you surround yourself with good, smart people who share your vision and your drive, you’re going to accomplish incredible things, and the numbers will work and fall into place.”

Erin believes society no longer believes direct saleswomen are simply filling their time or earning “mad money.” With the help of social media, women are leveraging direct sales opportunities to support families, build wealth and intentionally, ambitiously and strategically “own” their time.

Lines between influencer, affiliate, sales representative and enthusiast blur. As Millennial and Gen Z women continue to opt out of the 9-to-5, Erin believes there’s no better fit for someone who wants to forge their own path, become their own brand and own their life.

“I think the changemakers of the future will be familiar with the sales and marketing tools from different industries and continually find ways to take inspiration from other sales models to drive growth,” Erin shared.

From the March 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Taking the Lead first appeared on Direct Selling News.

Designed to promote safe and restful sleep, this latest innovation is intended to be used in conjunction with customers’ daily CBD routines, or paired with the company’s Sleep Boost essential oil and hemp-derived terpene blend for even greater benefit. 

Pointing to an increased need in the market for sleep aids, the company cited a study by Allied Market Research that found the global sleep aids market generated $59.8 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $111.9 billion by 2030. 

“The market for sleep is absolutely enormous,” said Robert Finigan, Green Compass Chief Marketing Officer. “Everything starts with quality sleep. I’m excited to bring this product and new Cannabinoid (CBN) to the market, as we are uniquely positioned to help many people through the healing power of hemp. Our vast community of passionate Advocates are ready to share their personal stories and testimonials for this amazing product.” 

The post Green Compass Debuts Sleep Better Nano Jellies  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

Opposite a startup’s enthusiasm and vision is hard work and a legitimate battle against failure. The odds don’t stack up in a startup’s favor. Ten percent are gone within the first year, regardless the industry. They can operate lean or have a $100 million bankroll and an enormous support team, still 90 percent lose the fight by the five-year mark. Misreading market demand is the number one reason why.

With approximately 1,100 direct selling companies operating annually in the U.S., our channel is not immune. Yet, every year brave and tenacious entrepreneurs step into the fight with unwavering vision to build brand communities that bring products to market and change lives along the way.

Direct Selling News comprised a list of direct selling startup successes—statistical outliers of sorts who have seemingly beat the odds. Some of direct selling’s fastest growing startups, they are all five years old or less and have surpassed the $1 million mark in monthly sales. They include:

• Bellame
• Chalk Couture
• Color Street
• Green Compass
• New U Life
• Red Aspen
• Revital U
• Savvi
• Scout & Cellar
• Seint
• Tori Belle Cosmetics
• Velovita
• Viiva
• Zyia Active

Note: This isn’t an exhaustive list. If you’re not on it and should be, please let us know at editor@directsellingnews.com.

Leaning hard on core values, principles and mission, Bellame, Green Compass, Red Aspen, Scout & Cellar and Tori Belle Cosmetics—participants in this story—have navigated a tough business climate amid a plethora of obstacles since they launched.

They have utilized a business model that capitalizes on flexibility, personalized service and the raw power of personal connections to break through barriers created by the pandemic in order to grow and scale. They continue to establish themselves as next generation direct selling companies with the nimbleness necessary to survive missteps and the tenacity to fight through even the toughest of times.

This is how they did it—and how you can take the lessons they’ve learned and apply it to your business, whether you are just starting out or well-established.

Prioritizing Transparency

Transparency is a top priority for each of these companies and their “no secrets” philosophy sets the tone for everything else they undertake.

“Freakishly transparent” is how CEO Laura Hunter describes Tori Belle Cosmetics. As an early adopter of tech, Hunter has never missed a Thursday “live” in four years. These digital events broadcast simultaneously across Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. Half product-use pro tips and half company business updates, Hunter draws no line between public and affiliate access.

“We go through all the business for the week—everything. What’s in; what’s out; what the month is looking like; what the specials are going to be, and then we have a question-and-answer session. We answer questions about the company live all the time. It doesn’t faze me at all. I have nothing to hide,” Hunter shared.

In fact, these digital interactions, when nurtured and harnessed correctly, can teach startups a thing or two. Bellame Founder/CEO Melissa Thompson’s personal blog attracted 100,000 followers long before she launched the company. The transparent online relationships she had revealed what followers loved and disliked about beauty products, as well as the direct selling industry itself. That input later helped form the company’s blueprint.

“Our Brand Partners and our customers continue to be a true part of our evolution. From product ideas to business strategies, we believe in servant leadership and that is only possible through full transparency,” she explained.

Firewalls simply don’t exist for customers at Red Aspen, Green Compass or Scout & Cellar. Each company maintains open access so the public knows all there is to know about their products and brand.

“At the customer level, we include a QR code on every package linking to the product’s Certificate of Analysis, a third-party lab document outlining the exact breakdown of the plant-based compounds inside. We own the entire process of creating our products from seed to bottle, and we’re proud to offer the utmost transparency and traceability,” Robert Finigan, CMO, Green Compass said.

Transparency is part and parcel of Scout & Cellar’s Clean Crafted Commitment, so in February they rolled out ingredient bottle labels on their wines, also making them available online. Something unseen before for alcohol. But they don’t stop there. Scout & Cellar also issues Sip Reports—kind of a baby blockchain for wine—sharing every grape’s path to becoming clean crafted wine, as well as full nutritional information like fat, calories, protein, sugar and carbs for each bottle.

“It’s not like anything else in the wine industry. No one else is doing the one-two punch of ingredient labeling and the Sip Report,” Sarah Shadonix, Founder/CEO, Scout & Cellar, explained.

Red Aspen takes that same transparent approach to their business opportunity. As Jesse McKinney, Red Aspen’s Co-Founder/CEO said, “Our sales structure, product information, ingredients—everything—is available to the public. This affects the field because our Brand Ambassadors can therefore be open and honest with their sphere. Transparency provides confidence in our Brand Ambassadors to represent the company and grow the community.”

Managing Product Exclusivity

For each of the companies, product exclusivity played a role; but not necessarily in the ways one might imagine. Some companies introduced and educated the industry to new spheres of products, while others broadened expectations of luxury within well-established product categories. Some fought knock-offs while others encouraged competitors to embrace similar manufacturing commitments, almost begging them to knock them off for the benefit of the environment.

Hemp products are fairly new to most consumers and within the direct selling industry. Rapid market growth is expected. However, Green Compass achieves product exclusivity thanks to their commitment to quality, testing and transparency. Continuing to invest in research and development fuels their passion for product innovation, too. For example, Green Compass produces one of the only 100 percent USDA-Certified Organic, nano-enhanced, broad-spectrum CBD jellies on the market today.

“By truly owning a vertically integrated story, we create trust with our customers by controlling every aspect of the growing, sourcing, extraction and production process—from our farms to your family,” Finigan shared.

Bellame also embraces exclusivity. “I knew that we had to have an exclusive product experience, which was far more complex than just using the highest quality ingredients to deliver real results. From the moment of presentation to application, Bellame products deliver a luxe and pampering experience that pleases all the senses. I have been told by multiple chemists that even billion-dollar brands do not have the layers of testing that we do. The best way to provide a product that cannot be replicated is by delivering one that is not just a product, but an experience created for and by the consumers who use them,” Thompson explained.

Tori Belle’s Hunter didn’t just have an idea, she invented LashLiner in her kitchen. It was an exclusive product in every way—until it wasn’t.

“They were knocking us off immediately. I cried. I threatened with lawyers. In the end the only thing you can really do—because it’s so expensive and so hard to fight—is to be better and faster and smarter. Be the original,” she said.

Hunter’s strategy capitalized on LashLiner’s momentum to propel a beauty industry breakthrough—no easy feat—with Tori Belle’s full cosmetic, skincare and supplement line. They launched about 180 SKUs in under two years, which she admits was an insane pace. But those beauty products have “tooth” to them, and their magnetic lashes now comprise 60 percent of their business.

Similarly, Red Aspen adopted a breakneck pace for product launches. “We design our own nails, working with artists and designers to create exclusive Nail Dashes you cannot get anywhere else. We guard ourselves against competitors with this constant new-ness and also with our weekly launches,” McKinney explained.

Shadonix has a different take on knock-offs and thinks it would be amazing if the entire world started farming and producing wine Scout & Cellar’s way. But she knows that will never happen. It’s hard and full of risk, and the commercialization of wine demands something different. So, Scout & Cellar differentiates themselves with their Clean Crafted Commitment and urges others to do the same.

Strategizing Customer Acquisition

As young companies throughout the COVID era, these startups proved themselves scrappy and agile, adopting and adapting customer acquisition strategies to combat obstacles and optimize the digital world to which their fields and consumers found themselves tied.

Foundationally, it takes a solid compensation plan and leadership that can motivate the field to pitch new products and acquire new customers. “We want to pay them for the behavior we want repeated,” Hunter said.

Tori Belle’s comp plan pushes hard on sales. “We don’t have any kind of commissioned startup kit, and it’s very inexpensive. We charge $9 a month for their website. It’s very easy—no barrier to entry, really. And that resonated with people,” she explained.

She also prioritized removing the “ick” factor associated with direct selling recruitment by complete transparency when it comes to compensation. “We make those bonuses public, and we don’t lie about them. They are attached to our comp plan, and you can see what you are going to get and how long you’re going to get it,” Hunter shared.

Digital innovation strategies drive customer acquisition across the board and empower consultants. Whether it’s Green Compass’s mobile-first website rebuild to shorten Advocate enrollment times; Red Aspen’s inventory and shipping system improvements; or Scout & Cellar’s Auto-Sip program, investments in digital technologies continue to prove successful.

To reach customers in every space they live, BELLAME launched an Omni Marketing Opportunity in February and eagerly await others to break with traditional cookie cutter direct selling or network marketing models.

“Our industry is not the same as it was when I started 27 years ago. It has changed significantly within even the past few years,” Thompson said. “We must think differently and embrace a digital, omni world. From scratch, we built our proprietary platform, complete with customer digital tools, back office and a commission engine that is ever evolving and tailored to the needs of our business. This has allowed us to not only survive a global pandemic, but thrive by providing a new experience for our customers and Brand Partners.”

Coming Through Hypergrowth

Misreading market demand kills startups, but that doesn’t always equate to too few sales. There’s great peril in hypergrowth, too. So how did these companies ward off that danger? They stayed close to their mission and vision and purpose. They renewed their commitments to their company cultures. They failed. They course-corrected and learned to navigate. And then they moved on.

“I think one of the things we do really well is fail. We are really good at failing with our field and owning it when we do. That drives a lot of trust,” Shadonix said.

Communicating, owning it, being transparent about what was going on and the stress on Scout & Cellar operations helped them make it through hypergrowth. In hindsight, though, Shadonix wishes they had documented opportunities for improved efficiency along the way.

And at Tori Belle, they found a way to pivot when pressed. “If we had a product failure because we were pushing too hard too fast, we replaced it with double. And we did everything we could to keep people’s good will even though we were struggling to keep up,” Hunter remembered.

Too much inventory; not enough inventory; too many new systems too soon; too few starter kits; website failures; bad hires; shipping delays; customer support clogs—you name it, hypergrowth rears its ugly head and dares startups to keep pace and survive.

For Bellame, the complexities of hypergrowth forced them to create a new space within the direct selling industry and innovate their way of doing business. They launched with just four products in 2018 and now boast more than 150 SKUs, which will grow with the planned launch of haircare and baby products. They have their eyes on global expansion after they secure a solid foundation in the U.S.

Scout & Cellar is evolving from a clean crafted wine company into a clean crafted lifestyle company. Innovations into adjacent categories have included spritzers, canned wine and cider, olive oil and vinegar. They expect to launch clean crafted coffee in Q4 of this year.

Product launches for Tori Belle will slow by design, instead their focus is building affiliate residual income through an already popular subscription box program. The company is currently doing business in nine countries with expansions into others on the horizon.

“We are currently building Red Aspen’s corporate headquarters, and it is being designed with growth in mind. We currently have multiple warehouses and two corporate offices. The new headquarters is intended to bring it all together and allow growth over the years to come,” McKinney shared.

The Green Compass roadmap includes nine products for the back half of 2022 with a plan to continue the trend next year with targeted wellness products. They expect data-driven prospecting tools and a new brand look and feel to improve Advocate recruitment. Re-order rates, average order volumes, preferred customer subscriptions, per-Advocate sales and new customer acquisition will be areas of focus.

Bringing It All Together

Although the odds might seem to be stacked against young companies, the right attitude, right product assortment, right approach and right strategy can help those with determination and focus grow and thrive through the inevitable startup setbacks.

The lessons and wins outlined in this article offer tremendous insights to companies in the channel at all stages and a blueprint for success for those about to take the plunge. 

From the August 2022 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post The Ones to Watch first appeared on Direct Selling News.

The Direct Selling Association estimates that there are approximately 1,100 direct selling companies in business in the United States in any given year. It’s no secret that some direct selling startups never achieve the kind of momentum required to build and sustain a successful business. But we can point to examples of startups who had that something—the expertise, the vision, the infrastructure, the products, the message, the timing—to distinguish themselves and reach what Malcolm Gladwell, author of the New York Times bestseller How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, calls “The Tipping Point,” or the “The Stickiness Factor.” It’s that certain something—the culmination of a series of small decisions—that makes the difference between success and failure, and it may seem elusive.

In the last five years (since 2017), the direct selling industry has witnessed the remarkable growth of several startup companies. They were on their way long before the global COVID-19 pandemic was a reality and have successfully weathered the challenges of the last 19 months.

Based on our research, these are some of the fastest-growing startup companies that are five years old or younger and have current monthly sales of at least $1 million. Note: This isn’t an exhaustive list. If you’re not on it and should be, please let us know: editor@directsellingnews.com.

• Bellame
• Color Street
• DotDotSmile
• Green Compass
• New U Life
• QuiAri
• Red Aspen
• RevitalU
• Scout & Cellar
• Tori Belle Cosmetics
• Velovita
• Zyia Active

This kind of growth is especially noteworthy when you consider the reality: Most startups fail. Here are some startling, albeit probably unsurprising, statistics about startup failure rates across all industries:

• About 90 percent of startups fail (Failory).
• 10 percent of startups fail within the first year (Failory).
• Across all industries, startup failure rates seem to be close to the same (SBA).
• Failure is most common for startups during years two through five, with 70 percent falling into this category (Failory).
• The number-one reason why startups fail is due to misreading market demand—this is found in 42 percent of cases (CBInsights).

Kudos to all of these direct selling companies for their extraordinary growth—made that much more extraordinary given the challenges of the last two years. Direct Selling News had a chance to speak to leaders at three of them to learn more about their rise to success.

An Unwavering Vision

“Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you.”—Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos. For QuiAri Founder and CEO Bob Reina, that vision was born during his tenure as a Deputy at the Hillsborough County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office. While serving in the role, Reina witnessed individuals and families with small children who were struggling to get by—many of them in poor health. “I wanted to help, but I didn’t have the means,” he says. “I turned to the direct selling industry to supplement my income and created a way to help others.” After becoming an independent distributor for another health and wellness direct sales company and working his way up through the top ranks, Reina launched QuiAri in 2019 based on a key ingredient: the Maqui Berry, after working with scientist Dr. Juan Hancke to develop a proprietary extract, MaquiX®, that supercharged Maqui’s antioxidant power up to 10 times and combined it with essential vitamins, minerals and greens to deliver benefits like weight management and improved energy. Just two years after the company’s founding, they have an independent sales force of 50,000 selling QuiAri products worldwide.

Sarah Shadonix had a vision, too. She left behind a career in law for the wine industry and later opened Scout & Cellar, a direct seller of wines that are free from toxic pesticides and synthetic processing aids and are low in sulfites. That vision, now trademarked as Clean-Crafted^TM wines, is “our standard for growing grapes and producing wine that celebrates its most authentic form, from the ground all the way to your glass. While this certainly wasn’t the easy path, it defines who we are as a company and how we’re impacting people and the planet,” Shadonix says. Her vision has resonated strongly with the company’s nearly 20,000 independent consultants and their customers throughout the United States. Scout & Cellar has grown more than 70 percent year over year since its founding in 2017 and now has its eye on its next goal: becoming one of the United States’ top 30 wineries.

The vision of a startup should be an integral part of its culture, and it should be communicated at every opportunity. Reflecting on the key decisions and philosophies that made the difference for her company over the last four years, Shadonix says, “If your team doesn’t believe in the company and isn’t excited about where it’s headed, growth will be exponentially more difficult. From the get-go, it’s important to focus on building a community instead of just building a company.”

“A lot of companies go out and say ‘We want to be a $100 million company,’ and that sounds great, but that’s not really who we are,” says Jesse McKinney, Co-Founder and CEO of Red Aspen, a direct seller of beauty products that reached its first million within five months and its second million three months later. Last year, the company topped $20 million in sales. “If you put your Brand Ambassador and her needs first, the numbers will follow,” McKinney says. “If you can make women feel successful, motivated and valued—that their destiny can be their own—that’s what breeds an incredible culture, one where we can support one another. I’ve been fortunate in life to have many female mentors. It’s so important that we support one another and lift each other up,” McKinney says. “This is one of the places where that happens, and I’m so proud of that.”

Bold Decisions and the Freedom to Make Mistakes

Reina opened his company in more than 200 countries worldwide right out of the starting gate, bucking the typically cautious approach companies of all sizes take to international expansion. “We knew from the very beginning that we had the resources and experience to really make a difference and help people, so we decided to go all in without looking back,” Reina says.

The company had the IT infrastructure to support its ambition. Two of its more innovative offerings are Same Day Pay, which delivers commissions within five minutes to independent distributors (called Promoters) anywhere in the world; and a real-time “Free Tour” marketing system launched Sept. 1, which enables Promoters to build their business around the clock through a seven-day temporary position in the independent sales force while they learn about QuiAri products and the business opportunity. Current Promoters share the link with prospects and let the system do the explaining. Those prospects who decide to become Promoters within seven days may have the opportunity to lock in their position within the genealogy. The Same Day Pay benefit has proven to be especially attractive to prospects, Reina says, and it’s one of the top reasons people become QuiAri Promoters.

From the get-go, it’s important to focus on building a community instead of just building a company.

—Sarah Shadonix, Founder / CEO, Scout & Cellar

Red Aspen launches a minimum of one new product every week (yes, you read that right). This kind of speed, McKinney believes, is precisely what keeps its distributors on their toes and engaged. “It’s a lot of work for us on the back end, but we always have something new and fresh to talk about.” Red Aspen’s marketing department moves just as fast. In addition to distributing its own content for distributors to share, the company involves the field in its marketing efforts, training them to make their own marketing material and selecting some for widespread use.

What made the difference during the pandemic?

Having the right infrastructure in place makes it possible for startups to take risks and course correct when necessary while remaining close to distributors. Under the leadership of McKinney and her cofounders, CSO Genie Reese and COO Amanda Moore, Red Aspen has made a deliberate effort to remain small and nimble, employing a staff of 50 at its corporate headquarters, dubbed “The Treehouse.” Everything—from shipping to customer support to logistics—is maintained in house. And, interestingly, the company’s sales force training and development materials aren’t behind a back-office firewall; they’re accessible to the public via the web in order to promote transparency about the company, its products and business opportunity. That and the company’s purely digital approach to sales and marketing (it uses no paper) have allowed Red Aspen to “get in front of more eyes faster than you would if you were throwing a party with ten friends,” McKinney says. “That’s lent itself well during the pandemic.”

If you put your Brand Ambassador and her needs first, the numbers will follow.

—Jesse McKinney / CEO, Red Aspen

At QuiAri, Reina installed the kind of IT and brand development expertise necessary to support a billion-dollar organization before the company had made its first dollar. There was no time for a learning curve, he says, when his vision was for the company to grow quickly but organically. “Our business model is 100 percent scalable and 100 percent remote. After just two short years in business, we’re just getting started.”

More than 19 months after COVID-19 officially became a pandemic, we’ve once again been reminded of our industry’s inherent strengths: a business model that allows for flexibility, personalized service and the power of personal connections that can permeate even the most digitized of interactions, robust education and tools that make professional development possible from anywhere a distributor might be—and, of course, technology that makes processes like online sales, inventory management, customer acquisition and scalable growth possible.

Above all, though, leaning into their respective values may have been the single most influential differentiator in the ability of these successful companies to thrive at a time when so many others, both within and outside of our industry, struggled to stay afloat. In fact, if their examples can teach us anything, it’s that values anchor and guide an organization as it moves through the kind of change necessary for growth and longevity—whether those changes result from a global pandemic, the occasional misstep or simply a commitment to continuous improvement.

“Our principles shape every aspect of who we are, how we give back and how we approach business in general,” says Shadonix. “By staying grounded in those values, we’ve been able to remain true to who we are as a company through the opportunities and challenges that come with growth.” DSN

In the last five years, the direct selling industry has witnessed the remarkable growth of several startup companies.

From the November 2021 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Startup Superstars: What They Can Teach Us! first appeared on Direct Selling News.

Throughout this year the editors at Direct Selling News have had no shortage of topics to talk about. Never before have we seen such a year that has so dramatically impacted the future of direct selling.

We began 2019 with troubling news out of China and ended with a landmark change for one of our industry’s biggest companies. In between, a new ingredient from the old world became liquid gold for many direct selling companies, learned customer behaviors are still rapidly evolving, while growth in gig work alternatives continued to challenge our status quo. Finally, 2019 was a year we had to look at ourselves in the mirror and eventually come to the conclusion that the status quo isn’t a path to the future. Our friends at the FTC reminded us not once, but twice. In this year end wrap-up, we examine the five events that had the biggest impact on our channel. We reflect on what we need to do to thrive in the 2020s.

China Cracks Down

For many direct selling companies, breaking into China is a big goal. But when a Chinese company broke the direct selling rules in late 2018, being a direct seller in China became more complex than it already is.

In December, a Tianjin-based health and wellness products company made unsubstantiated claims about how its products can fight cancer. By January, the Chinese government had launched the “Hundred Days of Action,” in which it investigated direct selling companies all over the country, revoking selling rights for 49 products.

Whether or not the government came knocking, all direct selling companies were on edge, and financials took a hit. Earnings at USANA Health Sciences, Nu Skin and Herbalife Nutrition, three of the industry’s largest publicly traded companies, fell significantly—between 8 percent and 25 percent for the first quarter. Hopes were high that business would rebound once the review period ended in April. Still, sales continued to fall dramatically in quarter two, resulting in all three companies resetting expectations for the second half of 2019.

“We are looking for stabilization [in China] for the rest of this year, and then we should see a resumption of growth in the early part of next year as the whole 100-day episode is further and further in the rearview mirror.” —Douglass Lane, Securities Analyst

In the most favorable times for direct selling, China can be a tricky place to do business. The government heavily regulates and keeps a close eye on this model, which in China is particularly beset by scams and pyramid schemes. In 1998, China shut the channel down, calling it an “economic cult.” U.S.-based legacy companies like Amway, Avon and Mary Kay helped rebuild trust in direct selling in China, but the country continues to be a volatile market for us.

As of September, the Chinese government was reportedly conducting random compliance checks. These were keeping direct selling companies on high alert, and prolonging the rebound experts were predicting would happen this year.

“The clear theme is that this is going to take a while,” securities analyst Douglas Lane of Lane Research told Direct Selling News in August. “But I get the sense from the conference calls and narratives that these companies are starting to head in the right direction. We are looking for stabilization for the rest of this year and then we should see a resumption of growth in the early part of next year as the whole 100-day episode is further and further in the rearview mirror.

Gigs Dig In

“We are now moving into what I call ‘the war of the side hustle,’ LifeVantage President & CEO Darren Jensen told an audience at the fall Direct Selling Association conference.

Jensen’s right. Companies like Uber, Task Rabbit, Airbnb and other gig income providers have turned our once proprietary playing field into a battleground. We used to be the only choice for people who wanted to make their own hours and control their own income. Now we’re fighting for their attention and commitment.

According to a recent McKinsey Global report, more than 160 million people in Europe and the United States are earning money in the gig economy. This is more than three times the 18.6 million U.S. direct sellers—4.1 million of whom are discount buyers or have no plans to sell the products and 9 million of whom have gone inactive. Direct selling worldwide is a $189 billion market, with North America accounting for $39 billion of that total. But on its own, Amazon, which got into the gig game recently with Amazon Marketplace, a market capitalization of $865 billion. Uber’s market cap is $55 billion.

The lure of non-direct selling gigs is strong because they usually require little capital or training. You don’t need sales skills to be an Uber driver, Lane told Direct Selling News. “You wake up, turn on your phone—and customers fall out of the sky.” On the other hand, Lane asked, are Lyft drivers deeply passionate about being taxi drivers?

“The Hemp Farming Act made hemp legal in all 50 states—it had been legal in 40 prior to that. The law came with several restrictions, but it still opened the floodgates for sales of products with cannabidiol (CBD).”

This is where our industry has a prime opportunity, experts say. We can be competitive by appealing to the desire most people have to work for more than a paycheck. We want what we do to have a greater purpose, and we are wired for continuous change. Direct selling sits perfectly at the intersection of those two things: Our high-quality research-based products and our business opportunities can transform people’s lives in small and big ways.

“During a tight labor market that’s achieved 50-year lows in the unemployment rate, the gig economy has increased the appeal of flexible, part-time earning opportunities,” wrote DSA Market Research Manager Ben Gamse in July. “This should be direct selling’s sweet spot where we can compete and win.”

CBD Sales Soar

In December 2018, when federal lawmakers said they are (basically) cool with hemp now, CBD became the hottest new wellness ingredient to hit the market in years.

The Hemp Farming Act made hemp legal in all 50 states—it had been legal in 40 prior to that. The law came with several restrictions, but it still opened the floodgates for sales of products with cannabidiol (CBD), a nonaddictive oil derived from the hemp plant.

The direct selling industry has dominated the CBD market, with such companies as Kannaway, HempWorx, PrimeMyBody and Green Compass reporting exponential growth. In 2016, Kannaway’s revenue was $2 million, and last year it generated more than $60 million. HempWorx’s sales were $9.6 million in 2017 and $100 million in 2018. Some experts project that direct selling CBD revenue alone will be $1 billion next year.

Midway through this year, the Direct Selling Association (DSA) put a bit of a damper on the enthusiasm about CBD. The DSA code administrator announced that the sale of ingestible CBD products violates DSA’s code of ethics. But then the DSA said it wouldn’t cite member companies that sell CBD products for 90 days. It said it wanted to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration time to “articulate a path forward” that would exempt CBD from a rule that prohibits using a new substance in food or dietary supplements unless the substance was first marketed as such.

“With the rise of mobile, social, and cloud technologies, customer expectations are increasing dramatically, and they are demanding a more seamless experience.”

Industry executives responded with disappointment. “We believe the DSA has not accurately portrayed the law with respect to CBD,” said Blake Schroeder, CEO of Kannaway. “And we vehemently disagree with their position.” In August, DSA suggested it might extend the moratorium on citations. In September, the industry trade group formally requested clarification on the FDA prohibition and asked the agency to make a timely decision.

Customer Behaviors Are Changing Rapidly

According to a 2017 Direct Selling Association “Evolving Marketplace Survey,” at least 60 percent of companies’ segment business builders from buyers with no intention of selling their product. And roughly half offer a preferred customer program, allowing members to buy products at wholesale prices without having to sell products in exchange for the discount.

We’re getting better, but we need to be even better. Recruiting customers has to be just as important as building our distributor base.

For starters, we could pay more attention to how our retail counterparts are marketing to and serving customers. They’ve been doing this for a long time, and they’re savvy about whom they target and how they talk to them.

The most fundamental changes that are happening right now are centered on the consumer. With the rise of mobile, social, and cloud technologies, customer expectations are increasing dramatically, and they are demanding a more seamless experience. They want to buy products where, when and how they want. In our November cover story entitled “Think Like a Retailer” guest author Wayne Moorehead, CMO of Young Living, stated that we need to remember that customers don’t think in terms of channel, even though we do– they just think in terms of product and availability. This has really brought about the rise of the direct to consumer brand (DTC). It’s fundamentally changing the relationships that companies have with the end-user.

Partnering With Our Distributors On Customer Acquisition

“There is a huge opportunity for us to partner more closely with our distributors, to be more involved in telling the brand story and in customer acquisition,” says Moorehead. “I predict the brands that are able to bring together the best of direct selling with the best of direct to consumer are the ones who will be the most relevant five years from now.

Moorehead went on to say that it’s important that we start acting and thinking more like a retailer, and how we appeal to, communicate with, and provide value to today’s customer. “We need to make learning about interacting with us more convenient, seamless and simple. We can no longer expect our customers, prospective customers or distributors to put up with outdated designs, clunky processes and outdated technologies.”

Finally, says Moorehead “The best way to get more distributors is to get more customers. Customers are the warmest market and most qualified lead pool that we have. They’re the best people to transition into distributors.”

Past Can’t Be Prologue & The FTC’s Heavy Hand

For years, many direct selling pitches led with promises that “You, too, can be a millionaire!” Images of beautiful people in expensive clothing on impossibly luxurious vacations dominated our marketing.

Thankfully, we’ve been moving away from that approach for some time—but subtle and sometimes explicit suggestions that network marketing and certain products can make financial and health worries go away still plague our industry.

It has to stop, say leading industry executives and experts. “The appeal to greed is repugnant,” said LifeVantage President & CEO Darren Jensen at the Direct Selling Association’s 2018 Fall Conference. “We keep going back to that well time and time again, and we need to shift away from it.”

First, massive wealth is not what motivates the majority of people to become direct selling distributors. Only one in five direct selling distributors works 30 or more hours per week, according to the latest DSA research. And of those who are interested in building a full-time business, fewer than one percent will become elite performers, says Direct Tech Labs. These numbers strongly indicate that the majority of people who come to you aren’t interested in being entrepreneurs. They’re picking up side work mostly to cover an income gap while adding some flexibility to their schedules.

ADVOCARE Settles, NEORA Decides To Fight

Perhaps the most headline-grabbing examples that happened in 2019, unfortunately, were FTC related. In October, AdvoCare and its former chief executive officer agreed to pay $150 million and be banned from the multi-level marketing business to resolve Federal Trade Commission charges that the company operated an illegal pyramid scheme that deceived consumers into believing they could earn significant income as “distributors” of its health and wellness products.

Two top AdvoCare promoters also settled charges that they misled consumers about their income potential, agreeing to a multi-level marketing ban and a judgment of $4 million that will be suspended when they surrender substantial assets.

“We can be competitive by appealing to the desire most people have to work for more than a paycheck.”

Then one month later, the FTC announced they were suing Neora for essentially the same reasons. One difference, Neora has decided to challenge the FTC’s claims and is suing them for essentially changing the rules of the game, which is a fair assessment given some of the language used by the FTC in settlement documents and their media briefings.

The first paragraph of the Neora complaint doesn’t mince words. “A business cannot operate without being able to know the law. Improper attempts to retroactively change federal law and to effectively preempt state law are unconstitutional. In fact, Neora is going as far as saying the FTC is trying to put an end to our long-standing, legitimate, and popular method of making direct sales to consumers: multi-level marketing.”

This is a fight I think the channel is ready for, and we predict many companies will join in supporting Neora’s fight. As Co-CEO Deb Heisz stated to DSN, “In talking with the FTC they wanted to limit commissions in our businesses to only the person making the sale and the person who recruited the person making the sale,” says Heisz. “We’re not willing to make that change and disrupt the businesses that our brand partners have worked so hard to create. The reality is the lawsuit that we filed doesn’t just protect our business; it is to protect the businesses of the 20 million Americans that are engaged in direct selling.”

Going Forward

The significance of FTC’s ruling on AdvoCare—and now with Neora under the same scrutiny—cannot be overstated. So what does it mean to our channel going forward?

For years, the FTC has made their dislike of volume requirements known. Former FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez in her keynote remarks at the DSA Business & Policy Conference in September of 2016, said the following: Any requirements or incentives that participants purchase product for reasons other than satisfying genuine consumer demand—such as to join the business opportunity, maintain or advance their status, or qualify for compensation payments—are problematic.

As Todd Eliason, Publisher & Editor in Chief of DSN said in a recent post, “If your company is skirting any number of these compensation plan requirements, be aware because you have just been put on notice. This behavior will not fly with the FTC going forward. Yes, you can take the risk and fly under the radar for the next five years, but is it worth losing your company over? This means looking at the purchase requirements for paying out bonuses, maintaining certain ranks or commissions, along with any sponsoring fees, even hidden fees.”

Rooting Out The Bad Actors

“If we are constantly operating in this gray area that allows operators to masquerade as legitimate direct selling companies, the regular public can’t distinguish between the two,” says Jensen. “I want to live in the sunlight in full transparency because I believe that the truth is enough.”

Fortunately, most companies in this industry are committed to ethical business practices, and we are slowly changing perceptions. But we still have to be aware of and do our best to counter stereotypes. “The misunderstandings of our industry are sometimes rooted in truth,” says Eliason. “There are people who have behaved badly, and maybe we haven’t always corrected those bad behaviors quickly enough. We need to call out any bad actors; if we don’t, it hurts everyone.”

Looking In The Mirror

Direct selling has been doing a lot of soul searching lately, and that’s a good thing. Asking tough questions about who we are and who we want to be moving forward is the only way to determine whether we’re positioned correctly for growth. We are an industry built on the idea that doing things differently is the surest road to success. So let’s embrace these opportunities for change and see where they take us.

Balancing Customer Focus with Distributor Loyalty

Half the companies that responded to a 2017 Direct Selling Association (DSA) “Evolving Marketplace Survey” said they allow customers to order directly from the company, bypassing registered distributors. While this reflects the trend toward direct selling companies being more customer-oriented, some industry executives think online direct-to-consumer sales are a huge threat to the channel.

In August, new Avon CEO Paul Yi announced the company would no longer sell directly to consumers on Avon.com and would instead use online tools solely to support business builders. The news was applauded by some, including former Direct Selling News Publisher & Editor in Chief of John Fleming, who wrote an open letter to Yi in August: “There are many who found your [decision] to be the equivalent of a breath of fresh air. … a demonstration of leadership that recognizes the Avon Representative as the focus of the brand and the chosen channel of distribution.”

Jeff Kaufman, outgoing Chair of DSA’s Research Committee, also believes that the industry must be careful to preserve the things that make it unique in the retail marketplace—including the critical role that distributors play. “Direct selling, like any industry, needs to evolve with macro and consumer trends,” he told DSA Market Research Manager Ben Gamse in July. “But it should not compromise on its inherent points of differentiation, such as the priceless personalized experience a customer has with their direct seller.”

Still, the industry must be careful not to fall back into the patterns that put it in regulatory hot water to begin with.

We must continue to collect data that tells us who our retail customers are and who our distributors are. We must be able to quantify real demand for our products. We also have to continue to study what our customers want so that we can use technology—whether or not we have an online shopping cart—to create seamless buying experiences.

Jordan Meyer, Director of Market Entry for Lehi, Utah-based Younique, talked at the DSA Growth & Outlook breakout workshop in June about the ride sharing channel and how it has created a win-win for drivers and riders.

“If you’re a driver, you don’t have to do anything [to get customers],” Meyer said. “You just sign on to the app, and the customers are there waiting for you. I know several people in the industry think this is an important model that direct selling needs to adopt—pulling customers on our platform and matching them with distributors.”

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